Man United have rolled back the years with their recruitment strategy so far this summer, bringing in players with Premier League pedigree.
Ruben Amorim (left) is taking a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book.(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Manchester United have made it their mission to recruit ready-made Premier League talent this summer after luring Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to Old Trafford for big-money fees.
After completing the £62.5million signing of Cunha from Wolves last month, Bryan Mbeumo arrived in M16 earlier this week, arriving from Brentford for an initial fee of £65m. The deal could eventually be worth £71m.
In Cunha and Mbeumo, United have added two experienced Premier League players to their ranks who enjoyed marvellous campaigns last season. Cunha scored 17 goals in all competitions and Mbeumo notched 20 in the Premier League.
Cunha made his first appearance for the Reds in Stockholm last Saturday, starting the goalless draw with Leeds United, and Mbeumo is likely to make his first outing for the club when they face West Ham United at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this weekend.
After finishing last season’s Premier League campaign with a negative goal difference, United rightfully prioritised attacking signings from the outset this summer. Cunha and Mbeumo have scored 75 career goals in the Premier League between them, meaning they each boast a proven record.
The Reds have turned to overseas options when strengthening their attack in recent seasons, signing both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee from Italian clubs in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
However, United have repeated the approach former manager Sir Alex Ferguson so often took during his time in charge at Old Trafford, targeting the Premier League’s best players.
Speaking back in 2020, former United captain Gary Neville said of Ferguson’s recruitment strategy: “There were three categories to the policy. He wanted to promote youth wherever possible, that was number one before he even looked at the external market.
“Number two was to look at the best in the Premier League; those he could trust and still have growth and be with the club for a long time: Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Robin van Persie.
Bryan Mbeumo was excellent for Brentford last season.(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
“And then he always wanted emerging international talent that could come over to Manchester, that he could work with and develop into great players: Nemanja Vidic, Peter Schmeichel, Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.”
In recruiting Cunha and Mbeumo, United have signed two of the Premier League’s best players from last season. Cunha was a standout operator for Wolves, regularly catching the eye, and Mbeumo was the joint-fourth highest goalscorer in the division.
Less than 48 hours after announcing the arrival of Mbeumo, United, on Wednesday, confirmed the departure of Marcus Rashford, who has joined Barcelona on loan for the duration of the 2025/26 season.
The England international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has not played for United since last December after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim.
Neville, continuing to address Ferguson’s approach, added: “In terms of selling players, he would get rid when they either weren’t good enough, or when he felt they were questioning his control. He was ruthless on that. In all of his interviews, he talks about control, authority, discipline.”