Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has hailed Brian Mbeumo as a “joke” after Ruben Amorim’s side extended their unbeaten run to five games at the weekend. United almost ended their winning streak against Tottenham on Saturday, but Matthijs de Ligt saved the day with a 96th-minute equalizer.
Ferdinand believes United’s improved form is largely due to their big spending in the summer transfer window. The club spent £170 million over the summer, bringing in a number of new players to strengthen the squad.
Signed from Brentford, Mbeumo is one of the summer signings, with Ferdinand praising him as the top winger in the league, and he appears to have integrated seamlessly into the squad. “Mbeumo was a joke,” Ferdinand declared on his YouTube channel.
“He’s really stepped in there and become a mainstay. He’s a player who can give you two or three seconds on the ball to relieve pressure. He can score important goals and create chances.”
“I saw Thomas Frank comment about him the other day and say Mbeumo is almost the perfect winger. I think by the end of this season he will be one of the most complete wingers in the Premier League because he can do it all. He just has to do it consistently in a United shirt.”
Ferdinand also claimed that United’s recent turnaround in fortunes can be partly attributed to Senne Lamence’s impressive start to life at Old Trafford, who was promoted to No. 1 over Altai Baindir. The promising shot-stopper arrived as a little-known signing during the summer transfer window as United were evaluating their goalkeeping department, with chief goalkeeper scout Tony Coton also backing his signature.
Andre Onana started the season facing doubts about his performance, while Bindir similarly struggled to make a positive impression. Onana was surprisingly allowed to leave and secured a loan move to Turkey, with Amorim putting his faith in Rammens.
The Belgian got off to a great start, keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland and helping his side to a much-needed victory at Anfield. “You can’t talk about our most important player without mentioning the goalkeeper. It’s no coincidence that we’ve improved our form. We have a goalkeeper who I think all the players trust,” he said.
The former United defender also praised De Ligt after United’s dramatic equalizer against Spurs. He added: “I think Matthijs de Ligt is our best defender this season. He’s been outstanding for us. He scored a last-minute goal the other day (against Tottenham) and he’s adding to his tally.”
“His pressing, aggressiveness and willingness to get up to foreign areas of the pitch and defend at the right time was great. His clearances from the box were great.”
