Bryan Mbeumo is set to become the second senior player to come through the door at Manchester United, and it is set to pose an ‘interesting’ question for an existing Ruben Amorim favourite.
Matheus Cunha’s transfer, being followed by Bryan Mbeumo, adds 35 Premier League goals to a Man Utd squad that scored 44 goals in total last season.
Clearly, the duo are coming in as undisputed starters in a team that desperately needs them, and that means some uncomfortable conversations will be had.
Rio Ferdinand is interested to see what happens with one Ruben Amorim favourite in particular, who was the team’s ‘biggest threat’ last season.
Bruno Fernandes (C) is together with his team Ayden Heaven (L), Harry Maguire (2nd L), Amad Diallo (2nd R), and Casemiro (R) in action during the official Man Utd training session
Photo by Hari Anggara/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand on the Bryan Mbeumo effect
Anytime a team signs a player at the peak of his powers amid intense competition, it is bound to send a statement of intent to everyone else.
It’s why Mbeumo is seen as more impressive than Cunha’s signing, despite the Brazilian being a “special player” who can decide a game in “seconds”.
Ferdinand raved about Mbeumo recently, and it’s clear that, when fit, which is all the time in Mbeumo’s case, he’ll occupy a spot in the starting XI.
It’s a positive that Mbeumo is extremely versatile, but Ruben Amorim is not buying a 20-goal-a-season player to field him away from the goal.
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Therefore, it is likely that Mbeumo will occupy that inside-right space behind the striker, next to Cunha, who will be the inside-left No. 10.
It means Bruno Fernandes might start in a deeper role, something he was beginning to get increasingly influential in, while Mason Mount will sit on the bench.
However, the trump card going under the radar in this discussion is Amad, who was one of United’s biggest threats last season, and now finds himself in a bit of uncertainty over his future, as per Rio Ferdinand.
He said, on his YouTube channel, “You got two players now on the right-hand side. Amad was terrific last season when he played before the injury. He’s one of our biggest threats.
“I’m interested to see now where Mbeumo and Amad fit in this team. The ‘Bearded One” came through for Brentford when Ivan Toney left, so he can get the goals.”
Ferdinand hints at new role for Amad
While he doesn’t say it explicitly, Ferdinand stresses that Mbeumo comes with a proven goalscoring ability, implying that Amad will have a new permanent position.
There is no way Amorim will drop Amad and use him in a rotation role. Fortunately, the Ivorian already carved out a secondary role for himself last season at right-wing-back.
Amad can be Amorim’s Geovany Quenda at Old Trafford, with his left-footed, attacking skill set making him a similar player to the Sporting prodigy.
United needed more attacking thrust from wing-back positions anyway, and in Amorim’s ideal system, attack-minded players occupy wing-back positions.
If anything, Mbeumo and Cunha’s arrival will allow Amad to shift to a position that is better suited for him in Amorim’s system.
Starting deeper, he will have a lot more space to run into, while his ability to beat a man off the dribble will be a brilliant combination with Mbeumo ahead of him.
His footballing intelligence and technical ability also make him an excellent candidate to ghost into goalscoring positions by arriving late into the box, so his output might even increase despite theoretically starting deeper.
Amad at wing-back with Mbeumo and Cunha as the No. 10s is not Amorim making a compromise to accommodate Amad in the starting XI. It’s his vision coming to fruition.