Wayne Rooney: Bryan Mbeumo ‘belongs’ at Man United

Legendary Wayne Rooney reckons Bryan Mbeumo belongs at Manchester United. The Cameroon International has scored five goals and has provided one assist in nine matches of the Premier League. Mbeumo joined United in the summer from Brentford for a hefty fee upwards of £70 million ($94m).

The striker scored a brace in a 4-2 win over Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday. The forward had also scored in a 2-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield, which was United’s first win at the venue since 2016.

“At Man United, he [Mbeumo] has had some really good chances in games as well — he just hasn’t always taken them. But I think his energy, his work rate, his desire … that’s what you need to be a Man United player,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney show.

“And yeah, I did say I was a little bit unsure, but I think what he’s shown is that he belongs there. Obviously, Cunha’s come in, it’s great to see him get his goal, but Mbeumo has been consistent with his performances and that’s the main thing.

“If you’re consistently getting into the right positions and getting chances, you’ll score. What was it, 20 goals last season he scored for Brentford? And now he’s started well again.

“When you’re a forward, you enjoy scoring goals, and that feeling keeps going. That’s why you see players go on streaks — scoring eight, ten, eleven goals on the bounce — and then sometimes they might go a few games without one.

“His confidence is very high at the minute, and hopefully that continues, because he’s certainly been the best signing for Man United this season.”

On the other hand, Matheus Cunha also scored his maiden goal for Manchester United in a 4-2 win against Brighton.

“You could see how much everyone was delighted for him — the manager as well — because that kind of thing can play on your mind,” Rooney said.

“We’ve seen it with Darwin Núñez at Liverpool too — the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes. You lose that bit of confidence again. But getting that goal is massive for him because some of his performances have actually been really good.

“He’s obviously missed a few games through injury, but you could see the delight when he scored. I’ve had it before where players really need that goal because they’re going through a tough spell, and you just hope that it spurs them on.

“Hopefully, now he can start showing what we saw from him at Wolves last year. I think he can kick on from this, get better, and start grabbing games by the scruff of the neck — because that’s what he’s capable of. He’s unpredictable at times, and that’s what makes him such a threat.”

United will face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.