Bryan Mbeumo remains one of Manchester United’s most important players, but his marquee moments have stopped masking his problem, just like Michael Carrick.
This is no time for alarm bells at Man Utd, as much as the world would have you believe, because Michael Carrick’s team have still lost just one of their last eight games.
The same goes for Bryan Mbeumo, who has arguably been responsible for the club’s biggest wins this season.
However, his contributions in those games also came with an asterisk, and that asterisk is now getting bigger with each game.
Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United enters the pitch prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James' Park on March 04, 2026
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
What is the reason behind Bryan Mbeumo’s form for Manchester United?
He's not been at his best recently😳
Bryan Mbeumo looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Bryan Mbeumo’s unmasked problem at Man Utd
Mbeumo has done better than many thought at Old Trafford, as goals against the likes of Man City and Liverpool have made him the perfect big-game player.
He has already touched double figures for goals scored, and that is despite the club playing just 40 games in all competitions this season.
However, those goals against City and Arsenal are masking a general level of decline in his performance levels.
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Mbeumo has never been a player who is on it and effective from the first minute until full-time, but he has the knack of making the difference when it matters.
That happened in big games, but when it doesn’t happen, he can often look like a complete passenger in a team that can’t afford to carry any.
Because he has the ability to conjure up a moment of magic, he is also trusted to play the full game more often than not, so the call to trust him looks worse when it doesn’t come off.
It hasn’t been coming off in recent games as United’s fixture list moved away from the marquee to the monotonous.
The glory of a Manchester Derby has been replaced by the visit of a Crystal Palace or an uncomfortable trip to St James’ Park.
As the marquee games ended, so did Mbeumo’s big-game pedigree, and United have been left with a player who looks like a passenger right now.
Interestingly, it mirrors Carrick’s issue at Old Trafford so far.
Mbeumo’s fate mirrors Michael Carrick’s issue
Much like Mbeumo, Carrick has also shown the ability to get the results in marquee games, only to leave something to be desired in the less fashionable fixtures.
What is your MESSAGE to Michael Carrick after his first defeat as Man Utd boss?
Michael Carrick instructs his players during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James’ Park in 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
United need Mbeumo to fire, so it’s not a surprise that Carrick struggles to win games when his star forward is a passenger.
It has a whiff of a “chicken-and-egg” problem to it.
Is Carrick not able to utilise Mbeumo as well in “smaller” games, or is Mbeumo’s big-game pedigree coming at the cost of weekly contribution, leading to the team looking poor in these games?
Either way, it’s something United and Carrick need to look at, and Mbeumo needs to do some soul-searching as to why he’s not at his best when the lights are not the brightest.
That’s because it’s reached a point where those declining performance levels are no longer getting masked by marquee moments.
Once he solves that problem, Carrick’s issue in these games will be fixed as well.
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