The Cameroon international is being strongly linked with a summer move to Old Trafford after another hugely impressive season for the Bees
"For me, in that moment and you look at Premier League, we are the worst team since I arrived in terms of results. That is my idea. In the end of the season, we can be the worst team in Premier League history with a European title," Ruben Amorim admitted on the eve of Manchester United's Europa League semi-final second leg clash against Athletic Club. "So we will not change anything. I still feel that this season was the worst in the last 50 years."
Amorim's brutal honesty is equally as refreshing as it is shocking – a symptom of the misery he has endured in his first seven months in the Old Trafford dugout. There was no customary new-manager bounce after the Portuguese replaced Erik ten Hag in November; in fact, most fans would probably claim United have only declined further on his watch, an argument backed up by their unforgivable position of 15th in the Premier League table.
But none of the blame should be laid at Amorim's door. The former Sporting CP boss is not a miracle worker, which was the requirement for instant change after he inherited perhaps the poorest squad in United's storied history. Consequently, results have not been Amorim's first concern, but rather drilling his 3-4-3 system into the minds of every single person in the dressing room to create the foundations for a resurgence season.
Naturally, several players won't be part of that process. Amorim has had enough time to assess who is fit for his long-term project and who isn't, with the ones that fall into the latter category set to be shipped out and replaced in the summer transfer window. Recruitment, then, will be vital if the Red Devils are to recover from this disastrous campaign quickly, and at least one transformational signing is needed.
Enter Bryan Mbeumo: the underrated Brentford talisman who could potentially be United's answer to Mohamed Salah…
Getty Images SportLeading Brentford into Europe
Mbeumo has spent the last six years of his career at Brentford, who snapped him up from French outfit Troyes in 2019 for a then-club record fee of £6 million. Within two seasons, the Cameroonian ace had helped the Bees win promotion to English football's top flight for the first time in 74 years, and he has since established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has recorded 67 goal involvements in the competition to date from 133 appearances – a splendid return considering Brentford have yet to finish higher than ninth. That could change this term, though, with qualification for the Conference League a genuine possibility for Thomas Frank's side as they sit just a point behind eighth-placed Bournemouth with three games to go.
That's in no small part because Mbeumo is in the best form of his entire career. The Troyes academy graduate is up to 18 goals, already double his best tally in the Premier League, and has also laid on six assists, having taken up the mantle as Brentford's leading man in the wake of Ivan Toney's departure to the Saudi Pro League last summer.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Likely to go'
Mbeumo's stellar work for Brentford somewhat went under the radar in previous years, but he is finally starting to get the attention he deserves. According to the , the Cameroon international is 'high on United's list of potential targets' as Amorim plots his squad overhaul, with Brentford set to demand around £60 million ($80m) for their most prized asset.
One or two sales will be necessary before any formal offer is made for Mbeumo due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, and the pair most likely to be shown the door are Marcus Rashford and Antony. Both men are expected to seek permanent transfers after impressing on loan at Aston Villa and Real Betis, respectively, in the second half of the season.
Mbeumo would certainly be a huge upgrade on Antony as a right-sided forward who has proven he has the physicality and technical ability to thrive in the Premier League. It feels like now is the time for Mbeumo to spread his wings, too, as Brentford team-mate Christian Norgaard has conceded.
"I think Bryan is likely to go," Norgaard told this week. "I don't know about [Yoanne] Wissa yet. Everyone hopes that he might stay. Either way, I'm happy for the season and am happy for both of them. They deserve it so much."
Getty ImagesUnited's 'mini-Salah'?
DR Congo striker Wissa has matched Mbeumo's tally for goals this term after seamlessly stepping into Toney's boots, and Frank recently talked up the "magic relationship" between Wissa and Mbeumo, which has lifted Brentford to a new level, telling : "They love each other, they definitely act like that. They are so energetic, smiling, two players [who are] coming every day, and working very hard individually to try and push and get better."
But Frank has also made it clear which of the Brentford stars has a higher ceiling. "He has added another layer this year, plus he’s still created chances," the Dane said of Mbeumo in the first half of the campaign. "For me, he’s a top player. I am convinced one day he will play for a bigger club. I’d buy him if I was a bigger club."
After scoring in a 4-2 win over Newcastle in December, Mbeumo was even described as a "mini-Salah" by ex-Chelsea defender-turned- presenter Jason Cundy, and there are few bigger compliments than that. He was also tipped as Salah's potential successor at Liverpool before the Egyptian penned a new contract in April, but the door is now open for United.
Mbeumo is certainly a match-winner in the same mould as Salah; a quick, intelligent winger who is adept at finding space in behind enemy lines and possesses a deadly left foot. Brentford's opponents are often left in panic stations whenever Mbeumo cuts in from the right, and he is capable of bringing a clinical edge to United that has been sorely lacking for years.
GettyClicking with Amad
That being said, Mbeumo wouldn't be occupying quite the same position for United as he does now at Brentford. He's being touted for one of the two No.10 slots in Amorim's line up, with Amad Diallo still providing the width as right-wing back.
Along with club captain Bruno Fernandes, Amad has been the only United player to rise above their collective struggles and make his mark in 2024-25, registering 18 goal contributions in all competitions, including a stunning hat-trick against Southampton at Old Trafford. It would, therefore, make no sense to drop the 22-year-old to accommodate Mbeumo – but they could interchange during United's build-up play.
On the ball, one will look to run in behind and deliver into the box while the other takes up a central position. Mbeumo's presence can also ease the pressure on Amad to always be United's main outlet and help ensure he is not caught out defensively when possession is turned over.