Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha
United want to sign Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha this summer
There are a few common threads running through Manchester United's transfer activity in the early weeks of this summer. The club is looking to sign two Premier League-proven attackers who can bring pace, power, and athleticism to the team.
But maybe the most obvious link between moves for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo is that both players will bring versatility to Old Trafford. Although both are forwards, they can play a few different roles in Ruben Amorim's system and offer flexibility.
Let's start with Cunha, who has signed a five-year deal to complete a £62.5million move from Wolves. During his time at Molineux, he made 41 appearances as a centre-forward and 37 as an attacking midfielder. He looks an ideal fit for a No. 10 in Amorim's system, having played the same role under Vitor Pereira at Wolves, but he can also lead the line.
He has done that at other clubs. The vast majority of his appearances for Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig came as a striker, with a shorter spell at Hertha Berlin seeing him operate primarily as a left-winger, with a split of games as a striker and attacking midfielder as well.
Mbeumo fits the same profile. He has just scored 20 goals in the Premier League from the right wing, but he isn't fixed to that position. His career with the Bees has seen him mostly play on the right, but he has also made 32 appearances as the No. 9 and 32 more as an attacking midfielder.
There is a school of thought that Cunha and Mbeumo, who could cost around £120million as a pair, will be United's No. 10s next season, but it could also be that they fit into a more fluid and interchangeable attack.
Having missed out on Liam Delap, United are still pursuing a move for a striker, but Cunha or Mbeumo could play there. Mbeumo could also potentially play as an attacking right wing-back in games where United dominate. He has the work rate and physicality to do it.
There had been fears United would sign players to fit Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system, potentially leaving themselves vulnerable if things don't work out for the head coach, who has had a difficult start to his Old Trafford tenure.
But Amorim is keen to have players who can fit into different roles, and in March, chief executive Omar Berrada backed that vision and explained the players signed would be flexible enough to work in any system.
"I think it's riskier if you have a coach that doesn't have a clear idea of how he wants to play," said Berrada. "And with Ruben, we don't see that risk.
"And when it comes to our recruitment strategy, without commenting too much, the idea we have is to be able to bring in versatile players that can be adaptable to multiple systems.
"And ultimately Ruben himself has said it, it's not about the 3-4-3 tactical formation, it's about an idea, a concept of how he wants to see the team playing. He wants to see the team playing more on the front foot, more of a possession, attacking-based style of football.
"So for that, you need players that can play in multiple positions that can adapt to that vision that Ruben has. And this is what we're going to try to do over the next years in our recruitment."
Amorim has touched on having versatility a few times since his appointment last November. He has named Bruno Fernandes and Amad as two players who can fill different roles, with Fernandes comfortable as a holding midfielder or a No. 10, and Amad excelling at right wing-back and attacking midfield.
Noussair Mazraoui is another who has shown versatility, having played in the centre of defence and wing-back, which is something Luke Shaw can also do.
There is likely to be plenty more movement at Old Trafford before the end of this transfer window, and they could yet sign a fixed No. 9, but the addition of Cunha and pursuit of Mbeumo show the focus is on players who can operate in "multiple positions," as Berrada put it three months ago.