Manchester United drew 2-2 with Everton on Sunday night, but still ended the Premier League Summer Series as champions.
Ruben Amorim had seen two impressive Manchester United victories during the pre-season tour of the United States.
United beat West Ham United 2-1 and followed that up with a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth before heading to take on Everton in Atlanta.
Captain Bruno Fernandes bagged the opener for United, scoring from the spot after James Tarkowski had fouled Amad.
Iliman Ndiaye pulled Everton level, before Mason Mount appeared to have won it for United with a fine curling strike.
An unfortunate own goal handed Everton another equaliser, though, and while United ended up as Premier League Summer Series winners, the nature of the draw was frustrating.
Bryan Mbeumo in action for Manchester United against Everton.
Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim on Bryan Mbeumo’s first Manchester United performance
Bruno has slammed United for being ‘lazy’ off the ball against Everton, and squandering the lead twice will be a major cause of frustration for Amorim.
United fans were at least given a first glimpse of Bryan Mbeumo, as he made his first appearance for the club.
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Mbeumo finally joined United in July, arriving at Old Trafford from Brentford after weeks of talks and speculation.
The Cameroonian missed out against West Ham United and Bournemouth, but was thrown into the starting XI against Everton.
Mbeumo looked sharp, linking up nicely with Matheus Cunha and Amad, while even testing Jordan Pickford with a free kick.
Amorim decided to substitute Mbeumo at half-time, managing his minutes carefully, having only just arrived at United.
Speaking to The London Evening Standard, Amorim suggested that Mbeumo ‘played well’ in his first United appearance.
Amorim noted that Mbeumo must still understand his position in the United team and exactly how he needs to move, while adding an honest verdict that he is ‘not in perfect condition’.
Mbeumo’s pre-season has been stunted due to his protracted United move, meaning he is still searching for full sharpness.
Amorim loved the way Mbeumo played, though, praising him for his sharp one-touch passing and his runs to stretch defences.
“He played well,” said Amorim.
“He needs to understand the position, the movements, but [his] first touch, the way you connect with one touch, open[ing] a lot of space. You can see he’s not in perfect condition, physically, but he makes a lot of runs and that can stretch a team,” he added.
Bryan Mbeumo showed enough to get excited about
Mbeumo has endured a frustrating pre-season, and United have just one more game before the Premier League season starts.
Amorim may increase Mbeumo’s minutes to around the 60 or 70 mark against Fiorentina next week, ahead of potentially starting him against Arsenal.
Rustiness to start the season would be more than understandable for Mbeumo, but we saw enough to get excited about him starting his United career.
Mbeumo’s close control and movement looked very impressive, and he came close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
The connection in the final third looked strong even at this early stage, and that should only grow stronger with time.
If this was Mbeumo ‘not in perfect condition’, as per Amorim’s words, then we can’t wait to see him at full tilt.