Manchester United were very active in the summer transfer window, and Tim Sherwood has analysed the performances of two of the new signings, likening one star to Eric Cantona.
Manchester United are on a five-match unbeaten run and appear to have finally found their rhythm after a slow start to the Premier League season.
The Reds sit joint fifth, just one point behind fourth-placed Sunderland, and although Champions League hopes seemed unlikely before the campaign began, they have now been revived.
A major factor behind United’s improvement is their successful summer transfer window, during which they added several important players to the squad.
United reshaped their attack by signing Benjamin Šeško, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and they also completed a deadline-day deal for goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Mbeumo has been the standout performer so far. He earned the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for October after scoring five goals and providing one assist. Šeško has offered promising glimpses as he continues to adapt to English football, and Lammens has quickly established himself as United’s first-choice goalkeeper with a series of impressive performances.
Lammens brings calmness to the backline
The goalkeeper position has been a problem for the club ever since David De Gea left in 2023. His successor, André Onana, struggled throughout his two years in goal, and Altay Bayındır has yet to show that he can be a reliable first-choice option.
After spending his first three matches on the bench, the Belgian finally made his debut against Sunderland and immediately delivered the club’s first clean sheet of the season.
Since that performance, the 23-year-old has added a sense of calm and stability to United’s back line. He has also shown strong ability in dealing with crosses, an area where Bayındır struggled earlier in the campaign and one that cost United valuable points.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Tim Sherwood reflected on Lammens’ performances so far, revealing how Rúben Amorim has gotten the best out of his new keeper.
“He [Lammens] relieves pressure. He comes, and he comes quick, and he’s a big boy, and he takes it at the highest point. I think the manager’s done very well with him, Ruben Amorim, because he told him not to play out ponderously around the penalty area like [Andre] Onana was doing.”
“He can play off both feet, he can play long, left foot, right foot, he gets it forward earlier. I think it takes the pressure off of the goalkeeper just to do what he’s good at.”
Cunha will be the next Eric Cantona
Cunha, out of the three forward signings, has found it the hardest to adjust to life at Man Utd, sitting on one goal after ten games, having missed a couple of games through a hamstring injury.
While not scoring or assisting in United’s famous 2-1 win over Liverpool in October, his performance had basically everything else, marshalling the front line brilliantly, and also dropping deeper into midfield to provide some much-needed reinforcement when needed, with the Brazilian being described as a “beautiful player” after the display.
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Sherwood spoke on what the Brazilian needs from Amorim for him to thrive at his new club, saying: “I think [Matheus] Cunha will be the superstar. He will be the Eric Cantona of Manchester United.
When he gets better players around him, if the manager gets the opportunity to continue the building process in January and next summer, I think Cunha, longevity, he’s the icing on the cake. For me he has that sprinkle of stardust.
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