Manchester United legend Gary Neville (Picture: Sky Sports)
Gary Neville has endorsed Manchester United’s move for Bryan Mbeumo and reacted to Bruno Fernandes’ decision to stay at the Premier League club.
United have begun talks to sign Mbeumo from Brentford after making Matheus Cunha, the Brazilian playmaker from Wolves, their first summer signing.
The Red Devils have turned to Mbeumo after seeing former target Liam Delap choose Chelsea over a move to Old Trafford.
Cameroon international Mbeumo, 25, has spent six years at Brentford and scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season.
Asked about Manchester United’s moves for Cunha and Mbeumo, Neville told Sky Sports: ‘They need players who are going to come in and hit the ground running.
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‘United has become a very difficult place for new signings to operate in recent years. Cunha and Mbeumo have Premier League experience, they’ve got plenty of games under their belts, it’s not new to them.
‘They’re the right type as well because when I watch the United wide players under Ruben Amorim, they have to get from box-to-box quickly and travel with and without the ball quickly.
Brentford FC v Fulham FC - Premier League
Bryan Mbeumo is in talks over a move to Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
‘Cunha and Mbeumo both do that. The players who are going to leave United are more jinkers and play in smaller spaces.
‘Amorim likes having those two players behind the striker and if those two are Cunha and Mbeumo then United will at least be able to travel quickly because they can both run and they’re both direct.
‘It’s important that Manchester United have that. They need players in those positions because it looks like Rashford, Sancho, Antony and Garnacho are going to leave.’
Neville also discussed Fernandes’ decision to snub a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favour of staying at the struggling Premier League club.
Manchester United v FK Bodo/Glimt - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD5
Bruno Fernandes rejected a big-money offer to leave the club (Picture: Getty)
Fernandes held talks with Al Hilal, who were ready to pay him around £200m over three years, before deciding to stay at Old Trafford.
‘It’s significant,’ Neville said on Fernandes’ decision. ‘The money on the table was big so there was an element where you couldn’t say it was a bad deal.
‘But on the other hand he’s been Manchester United’s star player, their only player really, over the past five or six years.
‘If he plays well United have half a chance of winning a game and we saw that in the Europa League final when he had an off game.
‘So him staying will make a difference. I don’t think anyone has doubted his commitment to Manchester United, he plays every single week and rarely misses a game and he’s so consistent.
‘The fact he wants to stay and go through this with United is significant. It would’ve been easy for him to say I’m done and I’m leaving.
‘To turn that money down when United are at their lowest ebb says a lot about him as a person and a character.’
Manchester United finished just 15th in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for any European football after losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
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