Manchester United and manager Ruben Amorim are preparing to face Nottingham Forest as they eye up four Premier League wins on the bounce
Manchester United and Ruben Amorim have shot up the Premier League table after five wins from seven matches. They’ll set their sights on a fourth-straight victory when they visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha both found the back of the net last time out against Brighton and will be aiming to keep up such momentum when they face Forest. But soon Amorim will be without star forward Mbeumo, who only arrived this summer from Brentford for an initial £65million.
Mirror Football brings you all the latest updates from Old Trafford, including a new recruit being told how he can improve and a loanee being warned about his attitude.
Bryan Mbeumo could be set for lengthy absence
Mbeumo has found his feet under Amorim and already has four league goals to his name. But just as he starts to gel with his new team-mates, the club could be without him for an extended period.
United are all set to be without Mbeumo for at least two matches in late December as he heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon. Mbeumo’s country play three group stage games from December 24 to December 31. This means he will almost certainly be absent for clashes with Newcastle and Wolves.
However, if his team progresses further in the competition, he could be away for much longer. The Round of 16 takes place from January 3 to 6. The quarter-finals are on January 9 and 10. The semi-finals take place on January 14 and the final is on January 18. A third-place playoff is also scheduled for January 17.
In this time, United play Leeds United, Burnley and a derby against Manchester City, which is currently scheduled for January 17 but is subject to change. They will also play an FA Cup third-round tie on the weekend beginning January 10. Mbeumo could miss all of these should his side reach the final.
Benjamin Sesko given advice
Another new signing who is still settling down in Manchester is Benjamin Sesko. The 22-year-old striker cost £74m from RB Leipzig this summer and has bagged just two goals so far. Given his mediocre start, ex-United marksman Dimitar Berbatov has issued some advice.
“Be confident in yourself,” Berbatov said as he aimed a message at Sesko whilst speaking on the Rio Ferdinand presents YouTube channel. “Be arrogant in a way that you demand the ball from your team-mates when you make the run.
“When you make a good run, if the ball doesn’t come for you, say it or express it in a way that your team-mates will understand. That, ‘I am here. I’m making the run for you. Respect my run. Not every time but try to see me and believe in what I can do with that run.’
“Sometimes be angry. Scream, swear at him, whatever. [It’s] not personal. Half-time, before and after the game, speak. Sometimes I think the players need to be more aggressive and emotional, in a way like, ‘Pass me the damn ball, man!'”
Marcus Rashford gets attitude warning
Amorim made it clear that Marcus Rashford wasn’t in his plans at United almost immediately, and after being shipped out to Aston Villa in January, he joined Barcelona on another temporary deal this summer.
In Spain, Rashford has been starting and performing well. There are no guarantees that he will return to Old Trafford, but if he does United legend Bryan Robson insists he will have to work on his attitude.
“Marcus is a great talent and everything, but I do think his attitude’s got to change if he does come back to United,” Robson told Grosvenor Casinos. “Barcelona is different because we always know that Barcelona and Real Madrid are going to be dominant in their league.
“He will improve and he will start enjoying his football a little bit better if he were to come back to United. I can’t believe that people say that he’s enjoying the two clubs that he left us for and that you can’t enjoy your football at Man United. That seems crazy to me.”
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