Bryan Mbeumo’s transfer saga at Manchester United is finally set to come to an end, and there was an under-the-radar thing happening during it, which makes him the perfect addition.
It took more than a month for Manchester United to go from registering their interest in Bryan Mbeumo to finally sealing his signature.
The long wait miffed the fans, even though key details of the deal made it somewhat make sense.
The silver lining to that delay, however, proved what makes Bryan Mbeumo the perfect addition to what Ruben Amorim wants to do with the squad.
Bryan Mbeumo during Man Utd transfer saga
Unlike Matheus Cunha, who had a release clause and a clear preference for Old Trafford, Mbeumo had only one of those two.
Add to that Brentford losing their long-serving manager, first-choice goalkeeper, and their captain, and it had all the makings of an excruciating transfer saga.
By the time it ended, the saga lived up to its billing of ‘excruciating’ and then some, but despite all that, one thing remained constant.
There wasn’t a single interview from Mbeumo, no cryptic social media posts, and no incendiary appearances anywhere to hint at burned bridges.
The Cameroonian even reported for pre-season training as usual when the move was close to being completed, remaining a picture of model professionalism.
Sure enough, it even frustrated Man Utd fans at times that Mbeumo wasn’t doing enough to drive the move from his side, except making his preference clear.
But it should never be forgotten that if a player can do that to Club A, then Man Utd might well find themselves in that club’s position some time in the future.
Therefore, fans might be frustrated in the past, but Ruben Amorim will be smiling that he’s signing a model professional.
Cultural reset at Man Utd
It’s not hard to cast the mind back to the times when United signed big names who were as attracted to the profile of playing for United as they were to competing professionally.
In Cunha and Mbeumo, they’ve now signed two players who didn’t just want United as their sole club, but also kept their heads down and didn’t cause disruption while the move was happening.
Those are the kinds of values that stick with the player, and they will bring that with them to a dressing room that has been accused far too often of downing tools.
Mbeumo didn’t just avoid letting Brentford down; he went out of his way to ensure things kept going as usual till the day he had a contract with the club.
Those are the kinds of personalities United need more of in the dressing room, and Mbeumo has personified that in this drawn-out saga.
Seeing Mbeumo’s true colours has been the biggest unexpected benefit of this saga.
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