Bryan Mbuemo made his long-awaited debut for Manchester United as the Reds ended their summer tour of the United States with a clash against Everton – and fans are reacting to his performance in Atlanta.
After a handful of training sessions with his new teammates, Mbuemo was handed his first start in a United shirt on Sunday afternoon as he joined Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes in Ruben Amorim’s revamped forward line.
Much was expected from the 25-year-old, who scored 20 goals and assisted seven times in 38 Premier League games for Brentford last season.
And he didn’t disappoint at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, playing a role in United’s opening goal as he delivered a first-time pass to Amad, who soon won a penalty in the 19th minute that Bruno Fernandes converted.
Mbuemo would almost open his account in the first-half but had two shots blocked in quick succession as he continued to display impressive link-up play with Fernandes, as seen below.
As expected, the Cameroon international was replaced at half-time as he continues to build his fitness following a late start to pre-season training – something that Ruben Amorim mentioned in his honest post-match assessment.
“He played well,” said Amorim. “He needs to understand the position, the movements, but his first touch, the way you connect with one touch, opening a lot of space. You can see he’s not in perfect condition, physically, but he makes a lot of runs and that can stretch a team.”
The Portuguese coach added: “He is going to be really important to our team.”
One said: “Some of his link up was very strong,” while another commented: “His one touch plays are elite, but he’s being wasted in that #9 position.”
A third wrote: “Funny thing is Mbuemo is exactly what I expected him to be. He just had his debut and it already feels like he’s played 6 games and I’m used to him. Him and Cunha are such good signings.”
A fourth said: “Good player but he’s clearly not fit enough. Give him a bit of time,” and a fifth added: “We actually signed a good player for once and not a project oh my god.”
United lifted the Premier League Summer Series trophy on Sunday after registering a 2-2 draw against Everton, as goals from Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes confirmed their place at the top of the group following wins over West Ham and Bournemouth
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