Data is based on Championship and Premier League games only
Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo could make the switch to Manchester United this summer, so what might the Cameroon international add to Ruben Amorim's side?
Well, goals, energy, assists and pace if last season is anything to go by.
When Ivan Toney departed Brentford for the Saudi Pro League last summer, very few people would have anticipated the Bees would adapt so quickly and finish 10th.
That was largely down to Mbeumo's partnership with centre-forward Yoane Wissa, as the pair formed quite an attacking force.
The Bees scored 66 goals in the league in total and had the highest conversion rate (19.9%) of all teams in the Premier League.
Mbeumo scored 20 of that tally, with only Mohamed Salah (29), Alexander Isak (23) and Erling Haaland (22) scoring more. He also provided seven assists.
So while the numbers reflect why Manchester United would be interested in the 25-year-old, it is also important to look at the wider picture.
Mbeumo overperformed last season according to Opta, scoring 20 times despite having an xG of 12.26.
He sured his expected goals total by the greatest margin in the Premier League season (+7.74) and also had the highest expected assists total of any player in the league with 9.28.
In the 2023-24 season, Mbeumo scored nine goals and ed seven assists in 25 games, while the season before he netted the same amount of goals but one more assist.
So Opta are right in that he overperformed for Brentford last season compared to his previous three seasons in the Premier League and Amorim will have to push to make sure this new standard from Mbeumo becomes the norm.
But it is when and how Mbeumo scores that will interest Manchester United fans the most.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Mbeumo signed from French club Troyes in 2019
Mbeumo is viewed as being versatile, dynamic, powerful and fast, and Amorim wants flexible players.
It is quite remarkable when there were only 10 goals scored in the Premier League last season with less than a minute on the clock and two are his.
Manchester United would certainly benefit from Mbeumo's lively start as the Reds were particularly slow to grow into games last season and left a lot of fans slumping into their seats rather than on the edge of them.
A move from West London to Old Trafford is at the talks stage between the clubs, but with no release clause it is doubtful Brentford will be easy-negotiators.
United will have to put their hands in their pocket if they want Mbeumo to be their second g of the summer.
What do you make of latest transfer stories?published at 12:22 3 June
12:22 3 June
Image source, Getty Images
It has been a busy 24 hours at Old Trafford.
The club are expected to open talks with Brentford for Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo after receiving indication that they are his first choice club this summer.
Finally, Jadon Sancho is set to return to Manchester after Chelsea turned down the chance to sign him permanently. However it is still expected that the winger will move elsewhere next season.
We want to know what you think about these transfer stories.
Would you be happy to see Mbeumo move to United? How important is it that Fernandes is staying put at Old Trafford? Would you consider intergrating Sancho into Ruben Amorim's squad?
Fernandes staying 'says a lot about him as a person' - Nevillepublished at 12:22 3 June
12:22 3 June
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Gary Neville says Bruno Fernandes' decision to reject a move to Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal "is significant" for his former club Manchester United.
Al-Hilal were prepared to offer between £80m and £100m to sign the 30-year-old and his salary would have been more than doubled in the deal.
"I think that there was an element of this situation that meant United getting that level of money, for someone of Bruno's age, obviously, you couldn't say that it would have been a bad deal," ex-United defender Neville told Sky Sports. "But, on the other hand, Manchester United's star player - only player at times - for the last four, five, six years, has been Bruno Fernandes.
"He's so important. The fact that he wants to stay, the fact that he wants to go through this and come out the other side, will endear him towards Manchester United fans even more.
"To turn that money down at a point where Manchester United are at their lowest ebb and say, 'No, I want to fight through this, I want to see it through the other side, I want to come out and achieve things,' I think it says a lot about him as a person, as a character.
"The club needs people who are going to run through a brick wall for them."
Manchester United have already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves and they are now set to open talks with Brentford for forward Bryan Mbeumo, as Ruben Amorim puts his stamp on his team.
"They need players who are going to come in and hit the ground running and Cunha and Mbeumo have got obviously Premier League experience," added Neville.
"I know that Ruben Amorim has this system where he plays these two players in behind a striker. If those two players are Mbeumo and Cunha then Manchester United will at least be able to travel quickly from deep positions into attacking positions because they can both run.
"We know the likes of Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and probably Alejandro Garnacho are going to leave, so they need definitely players in those positions."
Where would Mbeumo fit in Man Utd's attack?published at 10:32 3 June
10:32 3 June
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater spoke to the Devils' Advocate podcast about the prospect of Bryan Mbeumo ing Manchester United: "The problem I have with Mbeumo is where he fits in this system because he plays in the same position as Amad Diallo, cutting inside from the right. Unless Amad gets shifted into the right wing back, which is a big possibility, where does he fit in?
"My worry is we are g Mbeumo because we want him to be the number nine - he is not that. I want us to bring him in, but we need [a different] number nine.
"I think [Viktor] Gyokeres would be my top option as the number nine. You're guaranteed goals. All of my worries about him are taken away purely by the amount of goals he's scored."
What does a striker g mean for Hojlund?published at 08:29 3 June
08:29 3 June
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions.
Ben asked: Following the g of Matheus Cunha, what other gs can you realistically see Manchester United making this summer?
Simon answered: Clearly a number nine is a priority. Liam Delap turned United down, so Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford,Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta and others come into the equation.
What that means for Rasmus Hojlund I am not sure. He could be an (expensive) understudy or United could try to sell, although they won't get anything like the £72m they paid for him.
That is the general problem for United and Ruben Amorim this summer. I think they would like to make a lot of gs but they also have a lot of underperforming players under contract who are not worth what they paid for them.
Each sale could cost money and they can only get rid of so many.
And we have not even started speaking about Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho yet.
Crystal Palace's French forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, 27, is also on Manchester United's striker shortlist, but they may face competition from Juventus and AC Milan. (Teamtalk), external
Everton, Manchester United and West Ham could make a move for Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, with Al-Hilal prepared to offload the 30-year-old. (Talksport), external
Manchester United are also waiting for a decision from Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes about whether he wants to stay at the club or leave, with Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal interested in the 30-year-old. (Sky Sports), external
Two more significant departures from Manchester United have been confirmed.
Director of media relations and public affairs Andrew Ward and media director Ian Nolan are to leave the club.
Ward is best known as the United official who accompanied head coach Ruben Amorim to his news conferences.
The exits are not part of the redundancy programme and both will remain in position until their replacements are confirmed.
George McCaffery will step up and be alongside Amorim at future media engagements.
United returned from their post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong on Saturday.
They are due to play Leeds in Stockholm in their first pre-season game on 19 July before heading to the United States to take part in a Premier League tournament along with West Ham,Everton and Bournemouth.
🎧 'I'd take £130m' - The Devils' Advocate on Fernandes and Cunhapublished at 17:51 2 June
17:51 2 June
A new episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast from BBC Radio Manchester is available now.
Hosts Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath discuss the arrival of Matheus Cunha, who might be next in at Old Trafford and the future of captain Bruno Fernandes.
Should Man Utd sell Bruno Fernandes? Transfer window Q&A published at 14:43 2 June
14:43 2 June
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Sport chief football reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions on the summer transfer window.
A suffering Man Utd fan asked: Do you think Manchester United should sell Bruno Fernandes and reinvest in a couple of players? I can't make my mind up if he is part of the problem through no fault of his own as we are so reliant on him!
Simon answered: Oh my goodness, where do you start with this? By some considerable distance, Fernandes is Manchester United's most effective attacking player. He is the one they rely on to create, score goals, galvanise the team and lead. Aside from that, he is a pivotal figure off the field, tries to guide young players around what it means to be a young player and the behaviours and scrutiny that entails.
If he left, it would be absolutely huge. On the negative side, I accept his approach does not help when it comes to a 'system' because if he has a flaw, it is his positional discipline, which can create massive problems for his team-mates. I actually thought Erik ten Hag found the answer when he played him as a false nine in the FA Cup final against Manchester City but Ruben Amorim is not heading down that route, so if he stays it will either be as one of two number 10s or as a holding midfielder.
Given his age and where United are, I would be inclined to sell. But, and it is a very big but, they have to buy well and so many alarm bells go off in my head when I think of that because of United's overall recent record.
What can Man Utd spend this summer?published at 12:52 2 June
12:52 2 June
Steve Sutcliffe BBC Sport journalist
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The picture painted of a financial crisis at Manchester United seems to have been overplayed by part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
United had the highest EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) profit of any Premier League club, as well as the second highest revenues in 2023-24.
Given this cash profit is generated by the day-to-day operations of the club, it only underlines United's appeal at the turnstile to sponsors and broadcasters - despite their poor performance on the pitch.
Ipswich forward Liam Delap was in United's sights, at a price of £30m, but has chosen Chelsea, and further spending power looks to hinge on the futures of a host of players they are looking to offload.
The club will hope the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony can depart permanently this summer, but when and for how much will be a key consideration.
What if... the season came down to improvement?published at 11:40 2 June
11:40 2 June
As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...
Many of us will have been there in school.
It was not always about being the best, but about being better. Not trying to beat the others' scores or times, but about beating your own.
In sport too, it is why personal bests exist. It is a way of measuring your own improvement against what has gone before - we can't all be Usain Bolt and Florence Griffith-Joyner.
So if the Premier League season was all about how you compared to the campaign before, who would have come out on top?
Well, there is one clear winner.
With 29 points more than they had in 2023-24, Nottingham Forest would have been lifting that trophy.
They may not have finished the season quite as they hoped having spent so much time in the Champions League spots, but having narrowly avoided relegation a year ago, this shows the sheer scale of the improvement this term.
Their nearest challenger on this basis would have been Brentford.
With 56 points, they were three points short of their best ever Premier League tally, but having flirted with relegation last time out, it made for a more enjoyable season this time around.
Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham may have just missed out on European adventures in the real league, but they are also teams who can be happy with the improvements they are showing as now well-established top-flight sides.
And despite the chaotic nature of Chelsea since the new ownership came in, they too can look to steady progress.
At the other end of the scale (or table), it is a very different picture.
Many question whether the traditional 'big six' teams is still relevant, given how others have broken that mould in recent years.
But if the season was based on improvement, four of those six would have been at the bottom.
Tottenham dropped-off in the league nearly as much as Forest improved. Manchester City had a high bar to reach, but a torrid spell proved costly. Manchester United have set multiple unwanted club records, while Arsenal struggled to maintain a real challenge for the title.
They say beware the wounded tiger, and it is hard to see all these sides having the same difficulties next season, but they will not have it all their own way with those teams that are on the up.
*All data from Opta and only teams who were in the league in 2023-24
Is Cunha an upgrade on United's attack?published at 11:05 2 June
11:05 2 June
Josh Lobley BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Stats are per 90 minutes from the 2024-25 Premier League season.
Key es = es that lead to a shot.
Progressive carries= A carry that brings the ball at least 10 yards closer to the opponent's goal line, or any carry into the penalty area.
Given Matheus Cunha's success as the left sided attacking midfielder in Vitor Pereira's 3-4-2-1 system, it is a fair assumption that he will play in a similar role at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim has used multiple players as his attacking midfielders since moving to Manchester United, but Alejandro Garnacho is perhaps the most direct comparison to the Brazilian.
Last week, BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater said that Matheus Cunha is a "better footballer than Garnacho" and the stats tend to agree with him. Cunha is superior in lots of key aspects of an attacking midfielder including goal scoring, chance creation and dribbling. Although Garnacho completes a lot more progressive carries than his new team-mate.
Perhaps the most interesting take away from the numbers is Cunha's dribbling. Not only does he attempt more take-ons than Garnacho but he does so with much more efficiency. For context, Cunha's take-on success is in line with Amad Diallo (47%) who is one of the most gifted players on the ball at Manchester United.
Of course it is important to that Cunha is six years Garnacho's senior and the Argentine has plenty of time to develop his game. But it is pleasing to know that if the 20 year-old were to depart this summer, the club have recruited someone more than capable in his place - at least statistically.
Is 'bad attitude' useful? Fans on Cunha gpublished at 09:18 2 June
09:18 2 June
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Matheus Cunha g for Manchester United.
Here are some of your comments:
Nick: I'm happy with this. We're creating, but not scoring, so getting someone in who has experience scoring in the Premier League can only be a good thing.
Christine: I think it is a fantastic g in this struggling Manchester United era. I see hope because he can play in so many positions in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 and United need goals, that's all they need.
Salty: Cunha has the skills but does he have the temperament for the most 'under the microscope' and 'under pressure' club currently in the world? I hope so but so much needs to change around him to get the best from him. Let's hope Amorim's plan gets the from the boardroom. I'm still holding my breath...
Graham: At last; the right player, at the right price and at the right age. What could go wrong?
Karl: Definitely a step in the right direction. His stats say he has everything we've been missing - awareness, speed, balance, a finishing edge and above all, confidence. Can't wait to see how he works alongside the likes of Amad, Fernandes and Zirkzee.
Bob: Yes, he's renowned for his 'bad attitude' but that's just because he wants to win, which is an attitude sadly lacking in quite a few of our current squad. I seem to recall a certain Mr Cantona was slated for his attitude when we signed him!
What do you make of Cunha g?published at 14:31 1 June
14:31 1 June
Image source, Getty Images
So, Matheus Cunha is set to become Manchester United's first g of the summer.
The forward will on a five-year contract with the option of another 12 months.
Cunha has scored 72 goals in 270 club appearances, including 33 in 92 during two and a half seasons with Wolves.
The deal, which is subject to visa approval and registration procedures, is expected to be completed once the 26-year-old returns from Brazil duty later this month.
How excited are you by this g? And will Cunha be a success at United?
Image source, Getty Images
