Bryan Mbeumo has been Man Utd’s attacking star this season, but the club could have signed a player in the summer for free who’s outscoring him in the league.
Manchester United fans have finally been treated to a player who didn’t cower under the glare of Old Trafford, as Bryan Mbeumo picked up from where he left off at Brentford.
Despite a cold streak leading up to his AFCON departure, Mbeumo’s ability to stretch defenses and get United moving up the pitch has been crucial to any success.
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However, with United’s attacking department suffering from a crisis of options all season, they must be looking at a player they could have signed for free last summer who’s outscoring Mbeumo.
Man Utd could have signed Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Manchester United’s striker search in the summer led them to long-term target Benjamin Sesko, but despite the Slovenian’s vast potential, there was an uneasy feeling.
United were putting him in the same sink-or-swim position that Rasmus Hojlund suffered in, and so it has proved.
Sesko has been brutally scrutinised, and his recent injury worries have seen him struggle for lift-off at Old Trafford.
In such a situation, an experienced Premier League-proven striker could have been a nice fail-safe signing to help Sesko settle into the league.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was available on a free transfer in the summer after his release from Everton, and he was desperate to join United.
There was a genuine case to be made for United to take a punt on Calvert-Lewin, but he was just not “fashionable” enough a signing.
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The reality is that he didn’t need to be flashy. He just needed to be functional, and that’s exactly what he has been for Leeds United this season.
Calvert-Lewin has scored seven league goals this season, which is one more than Mbeumo’s tally, despite nearly 400 fewer minutes.
With his physical playing style of holding the ball up and providing verticality and movement in the box, he would have fitted what Amorim wants from his strikers perfectly.
Now they are seeing him light it up for a rival while Matheus Cunha moonlights as a centre-forward, and Sesko needs protection.
United need to mix suave with savvy in the transfer market
Ineos must be given credit for taking a long-term view to Man Utd’s transfer philosophy, but that shouldn’t mean they go from one extreme to another.
The previous regime would have signed Calvert-Lewin, but the problem is they would have signed ONLY Calvert-Lewin and called it a day.
In contrast, Ineos took the long-term view and signed a player who will have a bright future at the club, but gave him no help by getting another backup.
Calvert-Lewin would have been the savvy move in the market to complement Sesko’s suave, giving United a proper attack and depth in numbers.
The now-Leeds United striker is a more direct replacement for Sesko in terms of playing style than either Cunha or Joshua Zirkzee, so the players around him wouldn’t have needed to adapt to the extent they have had to now.
It was a no-brainer signing at the time, and it is becoming a huge missed opportunity with every goal he scores for Leeds now.
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