Gary Neville has named two Manchester United stars who he thinks will be crucial for the club going forward.
Rúben Amorim restored Benjamin Šeško to the starting lineup as Manchester United hosted Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday evening in the Premier League.
Given that Brighton had triumphed in their previous three league visits to Manchester, the game began with both sides battling for control of possession. The visitors sought to lure United’s press, while Amorim’s side relied on a measured, safety-first approach built on long balls from the back.
As Brighton began to show vulnerability in defence, United’s confidence grew. After 20 minutes, Matheus Cunha opened the scoring with a deserved goal for the hosts. About fifteen minutes later, Casemiro doubled the advantage with a deflected strike from distance.
Early in the second half, Šeško brought down a long pass and slipped in Bryan Mbeumo, who made it 3–0 to United. Former Carrington Academy product Danny Welbeck then pulled one back for Brighton with a stunning free-kick 20 minutes from time.
In stoppage time, Charalampos Kostoulas headed home from a corner to give the visitors late hope, but Mbeumo’s second goal in the dying moments sealed a 4–2 victory and all three points for Amorim’s Reds.
Cunha and Mbeumo are key for Man Utd
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Gary Neville, a Manchester United legend and new inductee into the Premier League hall of fame, highlighted the impact that new signings Mbeumo and Cunha had, and touched on the club’s transfer strategy paying off.
“With Cunha and Mbeumo, the risk of those signings was removed because, in the sense, they had played in the Premier League before, and they had the hunger to deliver at a different level.
“Mbeumo looks like he belongs. He looks hungry and that he wants to score goals.
“Manchester United have something to build on.
“Cunha and Mbeumo will win a lot of matches for Manchester United.”
Man Utd’s transfer strategy change has paid off
Manchester United are set to go all in for a midfielder next summer, with names such as Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson topping the shortlist, all of whom currently play in the Premier League.
Before last summer’s transfer window, United had signed just three players with English top-flight experience since the 2022/23 season. Instead, the club opted to sign high-profile players for inflated fees with no guarantee of their talent transferring to the Premier League.
United’s targeting of midfielders who currently play in the same league as the Red Devils indicates a shift in their transfer strategy, which we already saw some of last summer. England’s top-flight is widely considered the fastest-paced and physical league in the world, and players such as Antony and Jadon Sancho, who cost a combined £154 million, simply couldn’t adapt to life in the Premier League and have since left the club.
Signing ready-made stars such as Cunha and Mbeumo, while still for a high fee, brings a much higher chance of success owing to the great success they enjoyed at Wolves and Brentford, respectively, and bodes well for their strategy going into next summer.
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