Manchester United signed five players in the summer transfer window, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon all joining the Reds
Ruben Amorim oversaw five signings at Manchester United in the summer(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Manchester United’s summer transfer activity reportedly saw them acquire a player whose abilities most closely resemble those of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. United brought in five new signings during the summer window, with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Senne Lammens and Diego Leon all arriving at Old Trafford.
The Reds have experienced a mixed opening half of the campaign under head coach Ruben Amorim, though they have still managed to climb to seventh position in the Premier League table by Christmas.
Amorim and his squad will be eager to continue their ascent up the table with three points when they host Newcastle at Old Trafford on Boxing Day evening.
Mbeumo is one player who has already demonstrated why United were so determined to secure his services. The Cameroon international is currently representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations and could potentially be unavailable for another month whilst the competition continues.
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United spent several weeks being linked with Mbeumo before finally completing a deal valued at up to £70million.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, United’s newly appointed head of data research, Mike Sansoni, was instrumental in bringing Mbeumo to Old Trafford.
Sansoni previously spent 11 years working for the Mercedes Formula One team in a comparable position before moving to United.
The report suggests that the data analysis conducted by Sansoni and his department revealed that signing Mbeumo was the “closest” United could get to acquiring Salah from Liverpool. Mbeumo has netted seven goals in 17 appearances for United, six of which were in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old is not the only player that United are without due to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) also participating in the tournament for their respective nations.
Bryan Mbeumo joined Manchester United from Brentford in the summer(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Prior to Mbeumo’s departure from Manchester to compete at AFCON for Cameroon, Amorim included the forward in the starting line-up for all 16 of their Premier League matches this season.
His availability has been crucial to United’s hopes of climbing the Premier League this term, with Amorim now having to adjust his tactics for the next few weeks while Mbeumo is unavailable.
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