Manchester United need to rebuild on a budget under Ruben Amorim
Even at their lowest ebb, Manchester United have an unfathomable yet invisible draw that often appears to be the only thing standing between them and complete disaster.
While the effects of well over a decade of mismanagement at Old Trafford are being felt as Ruben Amorim’s targets this summer are drawn from Wolves, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town rather than Juventus, Borussia Dortmund or Ajax, they remain in the race for some highly coveted players this season and look set for another spending spree.
With Amorim (somewhat pessimistically) branding this season’s Red Devils side maybe the worst in club history, yet another spending spree and rebuild is required with the entire squad once again apparently up for sale.
A new manager coming in, overhauling his squad and being given too much say in signings that then don’t fit the next boss when he’s inevitably sacked has been a consistent theme since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, and it’s one that looks set to continue with Amorim seeking players that better fit the 3-4-2-1 system that he rigidly stood by at the expense of a Europa League title.
And after signing Matheus Cunha with Liam Delap choosing Chelsea and Champions League football instead of Old Trafford, Bryan Mbeumo is the new top target to partner the Brazilian at number 10. However, with Manchester United’s transfer budget apparently squeezed tighter than an empty tube of toothpaste, Brentford’s £50-60million asking price will be a painful one for Amorim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe to stomach - if they need to pay it all.
One way to lessen the blow would be to wheel a swap deal instead for a winger who would substantially reduce that price tag, is unwanted at Old Trafford but still has plenty to offer in the Premier League and proved that this season - a player like Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford is tailor-made Bryan Mbeumo replacement at Brentford
And with Brentford on the cusp of qualifying for Europe for the first time in club history, he could be the player to put them over the top in that race. Although he’s never broken 20 Premier League goals in a season, Rashford has hit doubles figures on four occasions and it’s hardly ancient history either - his best season in front of goal was in 2022/23.
They rank almost identically for tackles in the final third, percentage of dribblers tackled in the final third and challenges lost (all favourably) meaning Thomas Frank wouldn’t be trying to ram a square peg into a round hole and could sustain Brentford’s intensity on the press.
Meanwhile Rashford is even better with the ball at his feet driving at the defence and could further improve Brentford’s strike rate on the counter - he hasn’t lost the electric pace that was such a staple of his early years at Old Trafford.
Mbeumo discount could ignite Man United’s summer
Mbeumo’s 27 Premier League goal contributions this season have obviously caught the eye, though arguably even more impressive has been his overperformance of expected goals. In a season where all of Manchester United’s senior attackers bar Amad Diallo underperformed their xG by almost 10 (from Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount), Mbeumo is the antidote.
He ranked in the top 5% of attacking midfielders or forwards in Europe’s big five leagues at over-performance in front of goal against xG, at +0.20 meaning he effectively creates a goal out of absolutely nothing every five games. The large transfer fee doesn’t appear to have put Amorim off, but Manchester United have a long shopping list this summer as any discounts they can find will be very welcome and could mean the difference between replacing Andre Onana and not, for example.
Their rumoured £100m summer budget after failing in Bilbao would be blown on just Mbeumo and Cunha who while undeniably talented, can’t also plug gaps wing-back, centre-half and central midfield, so a swap deal makes perfect sense. The Red Devils have valued Rashford at £40m meaning he could reduce Mbeumo’s fee to £10-20m if Brentford are interested - and they’d be foolish not to listen.
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