Manchester United will end their pre-season tour with a game against Everton, having played some brilliant football against West Ham and Bournemouth.
The 2-1 win against West Ham was bettered by the 4-1 win against Bournemouth, and with Everton struggling for form, Man Utd fans expect a good win here.
The expectations are also running high because Bryan Mbeumo’s Man Utd debut will finally happen against Everton after Ruben Amorim deemed him not ready for the previous two games.
There is a lot of excitement for seeing Mbeumo link up with Matheus Cunha for the first time this season, but another partnership will perhaps be even more transformational at Old Trafford.
Amad of Manchester United celebrates after scoring the team's third goal whilst under pressure from during the Premier League Summer Series match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Soldier Field on July 30, 2025
Photo by Michael Reaves – Premier League/Getty Images for Premier League
Bryan Mbeumo can form deadly combo with Man Utd star
Mbeumo is such a snug fit into this Man Utd squad, both in terms of tactical as well as from a dressing room presence perspective.
Mbeumo has spoken glowingly of Cunha and how he can combine with the Brazilian to take charge of those two attacking midfield spots.
However, in Amorim’s team, the two No. 10s, while combining with each other, are mostly tasked with knitting the wing-backs with the central structure.
Very rarely will the two No. 10s directly assist each other, but their combination with the wing-backs is the foundation on which the team thrives.
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It is exciting, therefore, that Mbeumo plays on the side where Amad is starting to come into his own as a wing-back.
Amad is Amorim’s Geovany Quenda at Man Utd, but he hasn’t enjoyed the best of outings at wing-back in the two pre-season games where he has played there.
That is because he had been left to deal with Toby Collyer in one game and Bruno Fernandes in the other. Both are right-footed players who occupy the exact space as Amad, who comes inside from the wing to become a dual scoring-assisting threat.
With Mbeumo’s left-footedness, United will finally have the luxury of giving Amad space out wide to wreak havoc, or for Mbeumo to scramble defensive lines, then release Amad in behind.
Mbeumo-Amad partnership can transform Man Utd
With Patrick Dogu tuning with Cunha impressively already, Man Utd will be completely transformed if the right side reaches a similar level of understanding.
Both Mbeumo and Cunha, besides being great athletes, are also extremely intelligent players. Their understanding of spaces and off-ball runs is second to none, which is why the potential of this partnership is limitless.
More importantly, both players are ambipedal, so there is zero element of predictability in their game. That is a nightmare prospect for the defenders.
They can drag the defensive line out of shape by dribbling directly, or dink it over the line to create chances out of nothing.
Add to that their finishing acumen, and this is the partnership that can truly take United to the next level.
The narrative and headlines will be dominated by the duo of Cunha and Mbeumo. United’s season will be influenced to a large extent by how Mbeumo makes it work with Amad in a position not entirely familiar to him.