Ruben Amorim has made a huge change to his Manchester United set-up following Bryan Mbeumo’s big-money summer move from Brentford
Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo has impressed since his move from Brentford in the summer(Image: Getty Images)
Bryan Mbeumo has forced Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim into one big change this season – and it doesn’t involve his own personal goalscoring accolade.
Mbeumo, 26, has impressed in a United shirt since his £65million plus add-ons move from Brentford in the summer, scoring five times in 10 appearances across all competitions. He netted TWICE in Saturday’s 4-2 win against Brighton, firing home from the edge of the box and lashing a powerful effort into the top corner.
But it’s Mbeumo’s corner-taking prowess that has left a lasting impact on Amorim. Last season, Bruno Fernandes was typically United’s attacking set piece deliverer, with fellow right-footer Christian Eriksen also having his fair share in a more limited amount of minutes. Amad, a left-footer, took the third most in the United squad.
United lacked a genuine, left-footed option for taking corners who would start on a regular basis and play a large proportion of minutes in the Premier League. Mbeumo’s arrival, however, has changed that.
He and Fernandes have shared corner-taking duties this season, with an almost-even split. Mbeumo has been instructed to take them from United’s right-hand side, Fernandes delivering them from the left.
The Reds now don’t take corners shorter and deeper, beyond the perimeter of the 18-yard area for the ball to be crossed in or worked inside. It’s having a positive effect, with United scoring three goals from 0.49 expected goals (xG) from set pieces per game this season.
Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Although United have been a threat from an attacking perspective, they have conceded 0.53 xG from set pieces per game, the third-highest in the league and up from 0.34 per game last season.
As Charalampos Kostoulas, Trevoh Chalobah and Riccardo Calafiori, among others, have demonstrated this season, United’s set-piece defending hasn’t been up to scratch and leaves something to be desired.
Despite this, United recorded their third straight Premier League win after beating Brighton, a result that has seen the Reds climb into the top six for the first time this season.
Speaking post-Brighton, Amorim cut a delighted figure. He said: “[It] was really important. Also, the performance, we had to play different games in different moments of the game, and I think the players understood really well what to do in every moment.
“We suffered a little bit in the end. But it would not be Manchester United without suffering a little bit. But I think we deserved the win against a very, very good team, a team that is really hard to press really high. But we did well.”
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