‘Killer’ £60m+ star drawing Mohamed Salah comparison is Manchester United’s best signing since Bruno Fernandes

Ruben Amorim’s rollercoaster ride at Manchester United finally appears to be pointing upwards one year in, with The Red Devils unbeaten in five Premier League games and having beaten Liverpool and Chelsea so far this season.

And perhaps most surprisingly it’s followed another summer of serious investment, given Manchester United’s most reliable skill since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has been in turning some of the world’s best players into failures at Old Trafford.

From Angel di Maria to Paul Pogba to Jadon Sancho, Antony, Raphael Varane, Donny van de Beek, Alexis Sanchez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Radamel Falcao and many many more, The Red Devils’ track record with marquee signings has been truly atrocious.

So when Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo swapped Wolverhampton and west London for Manchester this summer for over £130 million, the verdicts were mixed. Both players seemed perfect for as the twin number 10s in Amorim’s system, having performed their best work in the left and right inside channels, and were proven in the Premier League having combined for 35 goals and 14 assists in the 2024/25 top flight.

However, Manchester United’s two best players by a mile last season - Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo - had performed well in the attacking midfield position and their track record with marquee signings indicated both players would struggle. Yet not only has Bryan Mbeumo managed to transfer his Brentford form to Old Trafford, he’s shown he has the potential to match Bruno Fernandes’ legacy for Manchester United.

How Mbeumo has turned slow start around in style

At least half of transfers are failures, and Mbeumo could hardly have got off to a more inauspicious start for The Red Devils. He drew a blank in his first two games and though the Cameroonian scored against Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup, he missed the crucial penalty that condemned The Red Devils to arguably the competition’s biggest upset of all time.

Yet he’s rebounded in style and while Cunha continues to struggle, Amorim’s attack is flowing through Mbeumo. Mbeumo’s finishing has been as sharp as ever and in sharp contrast to last season, when apart from Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford, all of Manchester United’s attackers scored less than their expected goals (xG) totalling nine strikes left on the table in the top flight.

Only eight Premier League players have outperformed their xG tally by more than Mbeumo in 2025/26 according to FBref.com, and his link-up play has been almost as impressive. Mbeumo already enjoys a fantastic relationship with Cunha, Mason Mount and most notably Amad Diallo, having created 30 league chances so far according to Opta.

The diminutive 26-year-old showed his full range of skills against Tottenham, terrorising their defence and even scoring a header - his first in the Premier League.

And TNT Sports’ pundits Peter Crouch and Owen Hargreaves were suitably impressed, with the beanpole former striker saying: “He’s a killer, he’s a danger, he’s so sharp and when he gets a chance invariably he finishes. He’s cold in front of goal and I think he’s been such a big addition to what Manchester United can do this season.”

And former Old Trafford star Hargreaves went even further, saying: “He gives quality. He reminds me a little bit of Mo Salah in and around the box, when he gets it he has a clear picture of what he wants… he almost shows no emotion.” But is that comparison a step too far?

Can Mbeumo replicate Salah and Fernandes legacies?

Obviously the impact of Salah and Fernandes in the north west of England has been far beyond the 12 games, assist and six goals that Mbeumo has recorded for The Red Devils, and if he emulates the Liverpool superstar then he will be the best African player in the world and a Ballon d’Or contention.

Salah and Fernandes were also in their mid-20s when they made their big moves, and the latter shows the pitfalls that Mbeumo will still have to navigate to become a Manchester United great. Fernandes has scored or assisted over a third of his sides’ Premier League goals in his five full seasons at the club, receiving precious little from the rest of his attacking teammates except Rashford.

So while Mbeumo’s output has been fantastic so far, he just needs to keep this rate up until 2030 to match Fernandes unless Manchester United can improve around him. There are signs that could be happening - Leny Yoro and Senne Lammens have both hit the ground running while Matthijs de Ligt and Patrick Dorgu are improving with every game under Amorim.

And while each of them has a claim to be Manchester United’s best signing in the last five years, if Mbeumo can continue to perform at this level into his 30s then he will surely take the crown.