On statistics alone, it might look like Bryan Mbeumo has made a slow start to life with Manchester United. He has one goal in his five matches since his £71 million ($95m) move from Brentford, contrasting with four goals at the same stage of last season with the Bees. But ask any fan who has been their best player so far in this stop-start season and they will most likely name the Cameroon forward.
Mbeumo has lit up United's previously dull forward line, injecting pace and power and a deft first touch. He and Matheus Cunha gave Arsenal the fright of their lives in the first game of the season, while he was the main danger man in the frantic win over Burnley. It was no surprise when he was named the club's player of the month for August.
He was United's most active attacker in the otherwise grim derby defeat at Manchester City and would have scored with a venomous volley had it not been for a tremendous save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. His performance in the 2-1 win over Chelsea was his best yet, even without scoring or assisting.
And yet for all the encouraging early signs, Mbeumo needs to start raising his game and start to replicate the goalscoring touch that United paid so much for. And where better to do that than on Saturday back at his old club Brentford, who find themselves in dire straits early in the season…
Getty Images SportStretching the opposition
Mbeumo may only have one league goal so far but it has not been for a lack of trying. He is averaging three shots per game, and that's including him having zero attempts in a surprisingly shy performance against Fulham. In every other game he has played on the front foot, living up to his reputation as a workhorse forward who fights for every ball.
His long-running Brentford boss Thomas Frank highlighted this trait in 2023, saying: "His work rate for the team is incredible. You don't see many wingers who work so hard and mean so much. He's become the key man saying, 'Give me the ball, I'll take this.'"
Ruben Amorim has also seen the benefits of the forward's relentless energy. "It's impressive how he stretches the team, the quality that he has in his first touch," the coach said after beating Burnley on August 30, when Mbeumo scored his only league goal. "You can feel that we are a different team, because when we win the ball we have one guy stretching the team. Last season we struggled a bit with that."
Mbeumo's enthusiasm is also infectious and Amorim has noticed how his eagerness to fight for the ball livens up his team-mates and by extension the Old Trafford crowd. He added: "You can see the first minutes of the game and you can feel it, it's not about playing well, it's the sound of the fans when we are pressing, winning balls, corners, we sprint to get the corner."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportRelentless running
Mbeumo's stretching of the opposition was plain to see against Chelsea, when he latched on to a Benjamin Sesko flick-on to provoke the early sending off of Robert Sanchez which turned the game in United's favour.
Mbeumo had forced a save from Sanchez moments earlier with a stooping header and his relentless running powered the team's dominant first-half performance, ensuring they made the most of their man advantage until Casemiro got sent off. He got a standing ovation when he was substituted and a high five from a delighted Amorim.
He also earned some praise from Bruno Fernandes. "We got the red card because our mentality was starting the game so strong," the captain said. "The players have to run behind whenever Ben goes for the ball and that’s what Bryan did."
While Sesko is still getting up to speed with the pace of the new league and adapting to his team-mates, his role in the moment of the game against Chelsea offers hope that he can form a partnership with Mbeumo.
And while the Slovenian will be judged by the goals he scores himself, he will do his team a lot of favours if he can support Mbeumo's ambition to replicate his 20 goals for Brentford last season – a mark no United player has managed since Robin van Persie in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season.
Getty Images SportHe needs support
At Brentford, Mbeumo had an excellent supporting cast. In his first season following his move from French side Troyes he played off Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma. He then formed a ferocious front two with Ivan Toney, the pair firing Brentford to promotion to the Premier League and then maintaining an impressive partnership in the top flight, including a 4-0 shellacking of United in Erik ten Hag's second game in charge.
That pairing was stopped in its tracks by Toney's eight-month ban for gambling but it led to Mbeumo striking up his most profitable and most enjoyable partnership yet, with Yoane Wissa.
Mbeumo and Wissa contributed to a combined 80 goals in their two seasons together. As well as scoring 20 times across the 2024-25 campaign, Mbeumo also racked up seven assists, with Wissa close behind on 19 goals and four assists. The pair were also close off the pitch, moving next door to each other.
"I'm someone who needs support and love to give my best performances," Mbeumo told Brentford's official media last year in a joint-interview with Wissa. "I'm really lucky to have someone like Wissa, who always wants the best for me.
"I always want to give 100 percent, but there are some times when I'm feeling down, so having someone like him who will help and push you in the right direction is brilliant to have."
Getty Images Sport'Very powerful'
Mbeumo has lost one ally at United after his Cameroon team-mate Andre Onana left on loan for Trabzonspor, although he knew Leny Yoro before coming after meeting him on holiday.
His team-mates used words such as "humble" and "quiet" to describe him, which is perhaps understandable for a player known for being cerebral. For exmaple, his two main hobbies outside football are playing chess and the piano.
Mostly, though, his team-mates are simply left in awe of his quality.
"Really good guy. Once you get to know him he's a bit louder than everyone makes out, funny as well," said Kobbie Mainoo. "Seeing what he’s done over the last few seasons, the amount of goals he scores and the quality he has, to bring him here I was always excited to see that. Really quick, really strong and with a great touch as well."
"Very powerful, very powerful," was Manuel Ugarte's description. "For him it's easy to score." Not that easy, as it turns out.
For all of the positivity Mbeumo has given United, he needs to start scoring to ensure he does not meet the same fate as United's other expensive forwards who struggled to find the net soon after joining.
