Former Man United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has compared Red Devils summer signing Brian Mbeumo to Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
Manchester United spent around £200m in the summer transfer window, bringing in new attackers including Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesco.
Only four Premier League clubs scored fewer goals than Man United last season, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee scoring seven league goals.
Mbeumo is the Red Devils’ top scorer in the Premier League this season with five goals, with Sesco and Cunha contributing just three.
And Hargreaves is impressed with Mbeumo, who signed from Brentford in the summer for £71m, claiming the Cameroon international reminds him of Liverpool star Salah.
Hargreaves said of Mbeumo: “I think his biggest characteristic is that he shows real quality. He reminds me of Mohamed Salah in and around the box.”
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“When he has the ball he has a clear idea of what he wants to do. Whether he finishes at the near post or the back post, he shows very little emotion.
“It’s a job in and around the box and I love that. You can get it at his feet and he can dribble as well. (Peter) Crouch mentioned his touch and his sharpness, but technically I don’t think he’s been appreciated enough.”
“People talk about his goal scoring and rightly so, but he is an extraordinary footballer.
“Many players have come to Manchester United with big names and struggled under pressure, but that wasn’t the case with Mbeumo.”
Former Man United striker Dwight Yorke believes Mbeumo has “over-performed” and has yet to live up to expectations since signing Cunha.
Yorke told Snavale: ‘It’s improved but I think Manchester United can still improve.
“Mbuemo was good, Cunha showed it in moments, but I don’t think he was as effective as he was when he played for Wolves.
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“The signing that excited me in the summer was Cunha. If there was anyone who could give me the element of surprise, it was Cunha. He hasn’t quite lived up to it yet.”
“I think there are spells in the game where you can see glimpses of what he’s done, but he hasn’t dominated the games like I saw him do when he was playing for Wolves.
“I would think it would be amazing if he could put on a United shirt and show that kind of drive, skill and vision and score goals like that, that’s the player we bought from Wolves.
“From what I’ve seen of him so far, it’s potentially there. We know what he can do. He just needs to do it more consistently. We’ve only seen small spells.
“On the other hand, I think Mbeumo performed better than I expected, to be honest.
“I wasn’t really sure if he was going to come to United, but you have to give people the benefit of the doubt and that’s what I did.
“I think he has played at a different level since he came to United. United have grown with the addition of Cunha and Mbeumo to the team.”
