Manchester United remain locked in a battle with Brentford over the signature of Bryan Mbeumo, which begs the question of what the club’s Plan B is expected to be if they end up missing out on the Cameroonian winger.
Manchester United and Brentford have been locked in a battle for Bryan Mbeumo for well over 40 days at this stage, which has left many to begin questioning whether a move for the winger is set to fall apart.
Mbeumo has made his desire to join United clear, but Brentford, as of now, is unwilling to grant his wish.
A general belief surrounding the Mbeumo signing is that he will play as the right number ten in Ruben Amorim’s system, meaning Amad could be set to drop back to play as a right wingback.
Failure to sign the player could alter these plans, meaning United could have to pivot to a Plan B.
United have been linked to Roger Fernandes in the past, and should they fail to sign Mbeumo, the club could do a lot worse than making their interest in the player more concrete.
Fernandes could play as an attacking right wingbackand form a fearsome duo with Amad down the right-hand channel for Amorim.
It could be something to think about for a United side who have truly lacked pace and power in a number of key areas since the beginning of last season.
The great sides of old at Old Trafford had that blistering wing play that opposition players struggled to contain for 90 minutes, and there remains a feeling that if the club are ever to find their way again, they need to adopt some of that back into their identity.
Roger Fernandes should be an option
Fernandes has been a name linked to United for a number of months, with the club holding an interest in him, and the links come with good merit.
The winger, who is from Guinea-Bissau, burst into life at SC Braga last season, Ruben Amorim’s former club, becoming one of the most feared attacking forces in the Portuguese League.
Last season alone, Roger contributed 5 goals and 7 assists in all competitions for his side. Featuring at right wing, right midfield, left back, and left wing and midfield too.
Many feel United need experience on this side, which they’ve gotten with Matheus Cunha in some aspects and would have gotten with Bryan Mbeumo, but if Brentford continue to play hardball, Fernandes has all the potential of eventually reaching the level of Mbeumo.
United’s original plan was to sign a player of a similar ilk to Fernandes in the shape of Geovany Quenda, who chose Chelsea instead, so to pivot back to Roger should Mbeumo not sign shows the clear profile and target of footballer they are aiming to land this summer out on the right-hand side.
While Roger is not currently an out-and-out right wing-back for Braga, he is exhibiting the explosive attributes an Amorim player in that position needs. Should United decide to pursue a move for the player, there’s no doubt he could be moulded even further as time goes on.
Many have doubts about Amad’s potential as a right-wing back and have speculated that the signing of Mbeumo to play in that right number ten position could be detrimental to the development of the Ivorian.
The signing of Roger would ease these worries and also arguably allow United to invest major money into the most glaring issue in the entire squad, the centre-forward role.
United remain attentive to Fernandes
United were still scouting Fernandes as of last month against Slovakia at the UEFA U21 European Championship, which makes clear they have not abandoned all plans to potentially land him this summer, having registered an interest in him earlier on this year.
The side from Old Trafford could have dealt a potential blow in the deal yesterday; however, as A Bola revealed, the player has changed his jersey number to seven ahead of the new campaign, potentially pointing towards him remaining at Braga.
Dribbling is a major trait Amorim adores in his wingbacks, and Roger completed 50% of his dribbles last season in the Portuguese League, the fifth most in the league, more than Geo Quenda on 45.8%.
He has more experience than most 19-year-olds in senior football, having made his debut at just 15-years-old for Braga in July 2021 in a pre-season friendly.
Mbeumo remains the prime target; there’s no denying that, and at this stage failure to get him over the line could be embarrassing for INEOS considering how long negotiations have gone on. But there are alternatives out there, and exciting ones at that.
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Roger Fernandes is a breath of fresh air and would add that pure fear factor that comes from defending raw, unadulterated pace that defenders haven’t felt at Old Trafford in a long time. He would spell out a bargain of a deal that would allow focus on other key areas and ensure United gets the most out of Amad.
A window that is turning dull can have fresh optimism once the Mbeumo situation is over, but United fans should not put all their eggs in one basket for the Cameroonian international.
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