Bryan Mbeumo was signed by Ruben Amorim last summerplaceholder image
Bryan Mbeumo was signed by Ruben Amorim last summer | Getty Images
Man Utd sacked Ruben Amorim last month and have enjoyed a resurgence under Michael Carrick.
What a difference a month makes. It is just over a month since Ruben Amorim was sacked as Manchester United head coach, and already the feeling couldn't be much more different.
The Portuguese coach signalled the inevitable end to his Old Trafford career when he went to war with the club board over a lack of power and backing in the role. Club sources were quick to state his departure was down to a lack of progress and evolution on the pitch, rather than an internal power struggle behind the scenes.
Any sympathy for Amorim has quickly vanished. United did not back Michael Carrick with any transfers in the winter window, yet results have improved enormously since they reverted to a formation that actually suits their first-team squad. United made it four wins on the bounce under their new head coach at the weekend, which begged the question why they persisted with Amorim and his tactics for as long as they did.
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Mbeumo makes surprising admission
Bryan Mbeumo scored again as Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League over the weekend. It takes his tally to 10 goals and one assist in all competitions since United won the race to sign him in the summer transfer window.
Mbeumo was one of the star performers under Ruben Amorim but looks even better-suited to the fluid forward line adopted under Michael Carrick. He has all the makings of a United great, though the Cameroon international remains full of respect for the head coach who signed him, and doesn't believe they were ever as bad as they had been made out to be during his reign.
Asked what had changed since Carrick was appointed, Mbeumo told reporters: "I just feel we built on what we were doing from the start because I don't think it was that bad as a lot of people felt. We just worked together, make the effort together, with a big mentality, and we're never beaten. Even if someone gets past, we come back to support and just try to give it our all."
"It's a big club, the fans are a massive community and we feel that when we get onto the pitch. We want to make them happy, so we just try to use their energy that they give us and try to give our best."
United are now just three points behind Man City ahead of their trip to face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, but Mbeumo isn't getting carried away by the prospect of a second-place finish this season. He added: "We just want to take it game by game, train as hard as possible and yeah, we just want to keep working as a team."
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