Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo
Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo
On the day in which Matheus Cunha proudly spoke about the lure of joining Manchester United regardless of the club's current circumstances, the Reds' next priority target may be about to ruin the feel-good factor.
Since missing out on Liam Delap, the Manchester Evening News has been reporting on the Reds' pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. Despite predominantly playing on the right wing, the Cameroonian scored 20 Premier League goals this season and showed that he can be utilised in a more central role.
The noises from those privy to the conversations surrounding a deal were that United remain confident of signing Mbeumo, despite having their first bid rejected, and that the forward held a desire to move to Old Trafford. Now, this has potentially been turned on its head as Sky Sports News reported that the 25-year-old is now intrigued by a switch to Tottenham Hotspur after they entered the race to sign him following their appointment of his former manager Thomas Frank.
While there could be a desire for Mbeumo to stick with a manager that he knows well, that argument feels flimsy at best. Had the forward wanted to stick with Frank, he could have done this summer by not entering discussions with the Reds.
Instead, Mbeumo decided to negotiate with Ruben Amorim's men as he wanted the new challenge - all of this happened before knowing that Frank was moving to Spurs. So it could be a reason why Spurs now looks intriguing but perhaps there is something more concerning happening here.
Tottenham were not in the conversation for Mbeumo prior to hiring Frank so as far as the Cameroonian was concerned, United were his only option. Now that Spurs are on the table, perhaps they look more enticing because they are in the Champions League and the Reds are not.
Ruben Amorim receives his runners-up medal after Manchester United lose the Europa League final (Image: PA)
When a player is picking their next move, they are always looking at how their career can progress from its current position and if Mbeumo's head is turned by Tottenham, it could be more down to their position in Europe than Frank's arrival. Arguably, United only have a miniscule more pull than Brentford at present due to the size of the club but it is certainly not because they are performing better on the pitch.
If he was basing his decision on that, he would not be leaving the Bees. The concern for United is whether this will soon become a pattern for the Reds.
They are interested in a talent, a club in the Champions League come in, United miss out. It happened with Delap, it could happen with Mbeumo, what's to stop it happening again and again this summer.
If it had not already set in how disappointing the defeat to Spurs was in the Europa League final, it shall soon feel very real for the Reds if they keep being beaten to signings by clubs in Europe. Not every player is going to be like Cunha and perhaps that is something Amorim and co. need to accept.
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