[-Supreme-]

He is actually quite pacey (over long distance) without the ball in open spaces to run into. Sadly, we have bought in another player (after getting rid of two) who suits a counter attacking setup and doesn’t contribute much to the build up phase.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

Has he been the same player since he came back from AFCON?

Could even say the same about Amad.

 

[Rasmus_9]

Has he been the same player since he came back from AFCON?

Could even say the same about Amad.

To be fair his form was pretty ropey leading up to AFCON too

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Nearly all players go through ups and downs in a season, he started great and bagged the goals when Cunha, Amad and Sesko were all struggling, now he’s in a lean time but his effort and energy is always high and he’s always a thought in the opposition minds. He just needs a tap in to set him off again.

Reverse it for Cunha, was pretty poor for the first half of the season and is now finding the goals and his position on the left.

It’s great that our players step up when others have a dry spell.

 

[Ekeke]

Has he been the same player since he came back from AFCON?

Could even say the same about Amad.

He scored in Carrick's first 2 games when we played on the counter against City and Arsenal. So not quite that simple. Next 2 games he got 1 more against Spurs so 3 in 4. After that is where he hasnt scored for 8 games, however he did get 2 assists in consecutive games after that Spurs game. So 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 games after Afcon, then 6 without a goal or assist.

 

[Steve Bruce]

He'll come good, in the last year he's had 3 different managers with 3 different styles (between his former club and current) and trying to get used to new players and expectations.

The front three have been inconsistent this season and its part of adapting to each other and the various formations and combinations throughout the team.

Despite the changes in the team both tactically and personnel this season we've secured champions league football.

Next season I expect a much better consistency and cohesion in the team. I think this time next season it would be when to judge him and the other new players in our team.

We are a work in progress and it's not going to be fantastic overnight. Next season we need to be better and consolidate ourselves in the top 4

 

[DJ_21]

Been inconsistent but so as all our attackers apart from Bruno. Aslong as he always gives his best which I think he does we can’t really complain. I’m excited to see our attackers thrive next season when we have a bit more of a solid midfield behind them.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

He scored in Carrick's first 2 games when we played on the counter against City and Arsenal. So not quite that simple. Next 2 games he got 1 more against Spurs so 3 in 4. After that is where he hasnt scored for 8 games, however he did get 2 assists in consecutive games after that Spurs game. So 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 games after Afcon, then 6 without a goal or assist.

Yeah fair enough, I am maybe being harsh. He is possibly just tired and things have caught up with him, but his touch and pace (over short distances anyway), looks to be way off right now.

Maybe he also hasn't been helped by the period where he was starting as striker.

 

[Ekeke]

Yeah fair enough, I am maybe being harsh. He is possibly just tired and things have caught up with him, but his touch and pace (over short distances anyway), looks to be way off right now.

Maybe he also hasn't been helped by the period where he was starting as striker.

Its one of those things where those first 6 games the numbers are really good, but that doesnt mean all the performances were. There were still performances in there where he didnt look good at all. But because he got a goal or an assist its hard to say he was bad

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

I don't wanna say it, but it's starting to feel he's not good enough, he started very well and was excellent during the early days of Carrick but he has been out of form and today he was absolutely terrible going forward.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

Agreed, and it’s great when you players chipping in when others aren’t quite on it, similar to Sesko’s hot streak.

 

[Lash]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

This is the problem with our squad, those two players we signed in the summer are nearly the only source of goals. Dorgu had started to show some output then got injured. We just need more players capable of chipping in. Sesko from the bench does it too, but you need more.

 

[Nyland]

Seems overly cautious at times. Hesitant almost. His physique probably isn't helping the perception but it does give the impression at times that everything happens at a plod. Could be a confidence issue as to why he has treacle feet sometimes.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

Standard on here. You're either the best thing since sliced bread or ready for the glue factory. There's never any in between. People need to understand what form is.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Our forwards are struggling in part because the team has been playing like a bag of nuts recently. We don't create enough counter-attacking opportunities or chances in general, so the forwards have little chance to get into a rhythm and build confidence. Against Leeds we suffered from having Ugarte in midfield, and against Chelsea we just gave the ball away immediately.

Of course they are not without blame in this, but I really don't believe we've given them the opportunity to shine recently. Overall, I believe in the quality of Cunha, Mbeumo, and Sesko.

 

[Solius]

Hoping his form picks up. He looked electric in his first couple of months but now it's like his first touch has deserted him.

 

[Mihai]

Nearly all players go through ups and downs in a season, he started great and bagged the goals when Cunha, Amad and Sesko were all struggling, now he’s in a lean time but his effort and energy is always high and he’s always a thought in the opposition minds. He just needs a tap in to set him off again.

Reverse it for Cunha, was pretty poor for the first half of the season and is now finding the goals and his position on the left.

It’s great that our players step up when others have a dry spell.

I think this is the most important thing. It's inevitable that players will go through bad spells.

 

[GDaly95]

I'm not worried about him in general, but I also don't really expect him to regain his form this season.

No World Cup for him this summer as well which is good.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

He needs a kick up the backside.

I do think players of this nature, I.e all output and limited skill do fade in and out of being useful. The metrics were similar to Salah in terms of the playstyle and the firepower but you can put Salah’s downfall down to age. Mbeumo has no excuse with no known injuries and a very short season.

I’m hoping it’s confidence and pressure rather than any sign of regression!

 

[SoCross]

Yes but he scored more at Brentford and most of those games were right wing. He did also play some games up front with Wissa in a 2

But I think clearly Brentford's lineup suited him more when he was playing RW than ours does. I remember last summer there were posters confused that I thought Mbeumo had a better setup for him getting goals there than he would have at United because firstly he was the penalty taker and secondly he scored 15 non penalty goals from mostly right wing, with Damsgaard getting loads of assists and from making late runs into the box to support Wissa. I thought clearly they are efficiently set up for his effectiveness as a goalscorer and he had great results. And I dont think hes had quite the same level of understanding and effectiveness with Bruno, Cunha and Sesko

Could be the setup yes. Even now they’ve got Igor scoring at a rate and had Mbeumo and Wissa last season. Haven’t watched much of them to know how they line up but clearly, they’ve got more of their play centred around feeding their forwards. We really don’t have that sort of structured play sadly. Take Bruno out, we’d struggle to score or would rely on individual brilliance.

The difference is just if you want your RW to be a forward or a creator/progressor.

I don't think it's worth using wide forwards unless they are truly top players. Mbeumo isn't good enough to take the sacrifices in your squad structure that you need to accomodate essentially a wide poacher.

He's a very good squad player to have, but those attacking positions need to be key players, and I don't think he has enough to be a key player for a top 3 side.

Fair point. I think if we get a stronger midfield, Mbeumo’s performances will go up a notch. Will make him a very valued attacker! But Things do seem a bit laboured right now.

 

[Fortitude]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

The big difference between the two there though is Cunha was mostly being dug out for awful decision making and greed, not fundamental issues with technique, or more so he has “it” in his locker if he puts his head on straight. By contrast, Mbeumo is being questioned for his technique and technical level and that is a bigger concern because the former is just reframing the mind whilst there’s not much making up if you don’t have the technical floor of your teammates and especially the level of opponents they have aspirations of matching.

Mbeumo’s currencies seem to be productivity and workrate. If he’s not producing, he’s got only graft to fall back on. That’s a precarious position to be in because if the goals and assists dry up, his role seriously diminishes.

I don’t know what is going on with him, but as a [successful] player, you generally fall into one of three categories:

- steady Eddies: rock solid consistency. Dependable. No real thrills.
- floor raiser: better than average. Raises the bottom level of the team.
- mercurial: capable of magic and peaks others can’t reach, so issues and flaws may be forgiven.

You’d think Mbeumo was a shoo-in for two of those categories; he started off as a floor raiser for sure, but as the season has gone on, he’s lost his way, and but for competition, he wouldn’t be getting games (same as Amad). In a true CL and PL contending squad, his form would see him barely getting minutes so he’s fortunate he’s here whilst we’re so thin and provide opportunities to play into form he simply wouldn’t get at other clubs of our stature.

I hope both he and Amad can turn it around, but if they don’t, we’re not the size of club that can afford to have them lower our ambitions due to under delivering in vital positions. Their combined productivity is OK for a bizarro season like this one, but typically, it’d be well below the bar of what the best wing-forwards are producing.

 

[NicolaSacco]

The big difference between the two there though is Cunha was mostly being dug out for awful decision making and greed, not fundamental issues with technique, or more so he has “it” in his locker if he puts his head on straight. By contrast, Mbeumo is being questioned for his technique and technical level and that is a bigger concern because the former is just reframing the mind whilst there’s not much making up if you don’t have the technical floor of your teammates and especially the level of opponents they have aspirations of matching.

Mbeumo’s currencies seem to be productivity and workrate. If he’s not producing, he’s got only graft to fall back on. That’s a precarious position to be in because if the goals and assists dry up, his role seriously diminishes.

I don’t know what is going on with him, but as a [successful] player, you generally fall into one of three categories:

- steady Eddies: rock solid consistency. Dependable. No real thrills.
- floor raiser: better than average. Raises the bottom level of the team.
- mercurial: capable of magic and peaks others can’t reach, so issues and flaws may be forgiven.

You’d think Mbeumo was a shoo-in for two of those categories; he started off as a floor raiser for sure, but as the season has gone on, he’s lost his way, and but for competition, he wouldn’t be getting games (same as Amad). In a true CL and PL contending squad, his form would see him barely getting minutes so he’s fortunate he’s here whilst we’re so thin and provide opportunities to play into form he simply wouldn’t get at other clubs of our stature.

I hope both he and Amad can turn it around, but if they don’t, we’re not the size of club that can afford to have them lower our ambitions due to under delivering in vital positions. Their combined productivity is OK for a bizarro season like this one, but typically, it’d be well below the bar of what the best wing-forwards are producing.

I think where he’s been a bit unlucky is that on some level his output is subconsciously being compared to his 20 goal season last year. But that was the outlier, not the norm.

He’ll be 27 this summer, and he’s only got into double figures in the league one other time in his whole career - and that was in the Ligue 2.

He’s a very good player, and Utd are better off with him than without him, but he’s not a natural 20 goal a season player..

 

[AjaxCunian]

Mbeumo and to a lesser extent Cunha have fulfilled this purpose, lead United back into European Places and even CL places. If we want to take a step further and compete for PL and CL to the level of City, Bayern, PSG etc, they will have to be upgraded at some point.

However they have helped us a lot into moving from 15th to this, but most will see that it isn't going to be enough. They are our 2 main forwards apart from Bruno, and clearly they aren't near that world class level.

 

[Fortitude]

I think where he’s been a bit unlucky is that on some level his output is subconsciously being compared to his 20 goal season last year. But that was the outlier, not the norm.

He’ll be 27 this summer, and he’s only got into double figures in the league one other time in his whole career - and that was in the Ligue 2.

He’s a very good player, and Utd are better off with him than without him, but he’s not a natural 20 goal a season player..

Not if all he offers is the gamut of this season - he’s been as bad as he was good. Problem is we aren’t going to have a season as messed up as this one ever again (hopefully) so he’ll have to be better than he was just to maintain the expected level in harsher conditions against better opponents. If all he has is what he’s displayed, he’ll be in trouble (exposed) as the levels go up.

 

[Ekeke]

I think where he’s been a bit unlucky is that on some level his output is subconsciously being compared to his 20 goal season last year. But that was the outlier, not the norm.

He’ll be 27 this summer, and he’s only got into double figures in the league one other time in his whole career - and that was in the Ligue 2.

He’s a very good player, and Utd are better off with him than without him, but he’s not a natural 20 goal a season player..

The only reason we signed him was because of that 20 goal season. So he was always going to be compared to it because we wouldnt have signed him otherwise. He wasnt good enough

 

[DOTA]

His overall game when out of form is the issue with him.

Doesn't need to score 20 goals but he does need to put in better performances than he has this second half of the season.

 

[jem]

He’s been underwhelming on the whole since the fall international break; same with Amad. Hopefully they kick on next year, as another season like this would be a problem

 

[sprezza]

My feeling is that we don't have enough goals in us as a team so we have to upgrade at least one of the starting positions if we want to do anything more than shoot for CL qualification each season. In a hypothesized front line of Cunha - Sesko - Mbeumo/Amad, it feels like the RW position is the one which is going to yield the least productivity or creativity. Amad and Mbeumo can have squad roles for us long term but it feels like theirs a cap on where we can go as a team unless we upgrade on them.

If you look at # of goals scored by the Champions of the last ten seasons, it reads the following: 96, 94, 99, 83, 95, 106, 85, 68 (Leicester), 73.

An average of almost 89 goals. Taking Leicester to be an outlier, it's 91 goals. We are on track for 66-67. Now, I don't see Cunha or Mbeumo taking their output with us to a higher level, I think what we see now is what we'll get. Where are we getting another 20ish goals from? Sesko, if he develops, maybe another 10 to what he has now. Maybe Amad can add a couple more. But ultimately, I think we need to head to market for a player who can bring either productivity in terms of goals and/or creativity to help us create more chances.

 

[Ceteris]

It's not just the form, that goes up and down in a season but his effort is seriously lacking

 

[Zumbi]

The big difference between the two there though is Cunha was mostly being dug out for awful decision making and greed, not fundamental issues with technique, or more so he has “it” in his locker if he puts his head on straight. By contrast, Mbeumo is being questioned for his technique and technical level and that is a bigger concern because the former is just reframing the mind whilst there’s not much making up if you don’t have the technical floor of your teammates and especially the level of opponents they have aspirations of matching.

Mbeumo’s currencies seem to be productivity and workrate. If he’s not producing, he’s got only graft to fall back on. That’s a precarious position to be in because if the goals and assists dry up, his role seriously diminishes.

I don’t know what is going on with him, but as a [successful] player, you generally fall into one of three categories:

- steady Eddies: rock solid consistency. Dependable. No real thrills.
- floor raiser: better than average. Raises the bottom level of the team.
- mercurial: capable of magic and peaks others can’t reach, so issues and flaws may be forgiven.

You’d think Mbeumo was a shoo-in for two of those categories; he started off as a floor raiser for sure, but as the season has gone on, he’s lost his way, and but for competition, he wouldn’t be getting games (same as Amad). In a true CL and PL contending squad, his form would see him barely getting minutes so he’s fortunate he’s here whilst we’re so thin and provide opportunities to play into form he simply wouldn’t get at other clubs of our stature.

I hope both he and Amad can turn it around, but if they don’t, we’re not the size of club that can afford to have them lower our ambitions due to under delivering in vital positions. Their combined productivity is OK for a bizarro season like this one, but typically, it’d be well below the bar of what the best wing-forwards are producing.

This doesn't really hold up - people have short memories it seems. Earlier this season when Mbeumo was looking sharp and in form people were raving in this thread about how good his technique and first touch was, and how he had raised the technical standard of the team. Meanwhile when Cunha was out of form it wasn’t just his decision making which was being criticised - technical aspects like his touch were also being criticised.

Mbeumo’s been out of form for a while and his technical level has dropped, but that happens when players are out of form. It doesn’t mean they don’t have it or can’t regain it. And the comparison with Cunha doesn’t make sense to me in another regard, because it’s not just technique that’s been the issue recently - both Amad and Mbeumo have been suffering from poor decision making at times as well, with attacks breaking down because they’ve chosen the wrong option or the wrong timing for a move.

I guess I just don’t see the same fundamental difference you claim exists between them. I see far more similarities between two players who at various points of the season have simply been out of form in an attack that still feels fairly disjointed and has struggled to click.

 

[Escobar]

To be fair all of our attacking players bar Bruno struggle more often than not

 

[tenpoless]

His partnership with Bissa last season was kinda underrated I reckon but it was actually why he did so well, the partnership between the two was almost telephatic.

At United he has to play with Sesko or play as a CF himself. In order to be at his best he needs to form a good partnership with Sesko or whoever plays up front. And that means there would be no place for Amad at RW.

This is one of the issueswith the squad right now. You cant fit Mbeumo and Amad at the same time and expect both to perform extraordinarily. They need a CF and time to build a proper partnership, playing at their best as a winger.

I dont think shoving Amad as a fullback is an optimal solution either... its a good problem to have but explains why we havent seen the best of both this season.

Its different compared to Cunha/Dorgu because both players are different type of players. Mbumo and Amad are kinda similar, you often see them occupying or running into the same space.

 

[michelleOntaRio-Rio]

He’s going to be fine. A very good player and a very good signing. He was different class the first half of the season. Carried the boys. We aren’t a team yet that is good enough to have all our attackers on form at any one point. We don’t create enough for that to happen, so as one player rises another on the roster dips.

Mbuemo is plenty good enough to play in a better team unit than he is currently. He was our mvp from August to November. As others have pointed, both he and Amad went to AFCON and are now struggling. pretty understandable when you factor in the whole demands that would put on a man.

 

[Marwood]

He does look like he's lacking a bit of fitness to me. He's not winning any 50/50 and that's always a sign.

But ultimately he needs a run of games in his actual position(RW) and the chance to get a relationship going with his fullback.

Same goes for how he links with the other forwards, the chemistry isn't quite there yet.

He's quick over longer distances rather than the first few yards so needs to be running in behind more. The way we play isn't really creating those situations for him at the moment.

 

[Fortitude]

This doesn't really hold up - people have short memories it seems. Earlier this season when Mbeumo was looking sharp and in form people were raving in this thread about how good his technique and first touch was, and how he had raised the technical standard of the team. Meanwhile when Cunha was out of form it wasn’t just his decision making which was being criticised - technical aspects like his touch were also being criticised.

Mbeumo’s been out of form for a while and his technical level has dropped, but that happens when players are out of form. It doesn’t mean they don’t have it or can’t regain it. And the comparison with Cunha doesn’t make sense to me in another regard, because it’s not just technique that’s been the issue recently - both Amad and Mbeumo have been suffering from poor decision making at times as well, with attacks breaking down because they’ve chosen the wrong option or the wrong timing for a move.

I guess I just don’t see the same fundamental difference you claim exists between them. I see far more similarities between two players who at various points of the season have simply been out of form in an attack that still feels fairly disjointed and has struggled to click.

I have posts in here stating he seems to have rock solid technique. The problem is that didn’t last long and is more the outlier as the season has gone on: he’s had more poor months than good now so his technique has come under heavier and heavier scrutiny as time has gone by. Cunha, by contrast, came and was playing like he’d never passed a ball in his career; trying to do too much by himself; taking on 3-4 players rather than pass to an open teammate, etc. etc. he was scrappy and overplaying, but the core concerns were his decision making with his technical acumen being secondary (albeit wildly erratic).

Mbeumo wasn’t flash, just smooth and efficient and that earned him plaudits because he was an assured and dependable player; the ball would stick and he was able to do what he wanted swiftly and efficiently, that, and he was scoring a fair number of goals. There were no complaints about his game then. Fast forward to now and not only isn’t he scoring, his technical base is failing him, so he’s really not left with much and the point is that cannot continue if he is to be a starter in a much harder season against considerably better opposition.

What is expected of someone like Mbeumo is dependability even on bad days. No thrills or flash, but still a solid and reliable player and he’s not been that for some time - he can barely beat a man 1 on 1; the ball is not sticking to him; he’s making bad decisions and he’s struggling with his passing too. For now, he’s able to ride it out given Amad is in shocking form himself, but if we get ourselves to a truly competitive level again, neither would see the pitch because someone else would have taken their chance.

 

[SATA]

He’s for me is still one of the first names on the team sheet unless we get Yamal now for that position he play

 

[Denis' cuff]

I think people in here are being far too critical of Mbeumo. He’s been in poor form for a bit but it was only a few weeks ago that there was no concerns for him and everyone was on Cunha’s case.

He’ll be fine, just needs a bit of a confidence boost.

Good man (you)

You don’t lose your first touch, like he is capable of. You can’t have a first touch like he has and I don’t believe he has suddenly lost his pace.

Just form fluctuations. He’ll be alright. Hopefully.

 

[Fortitude]

I also think this thread shows how unused to the top table fans have become where sentiment and blind hope are more ruthlessly cast aside. Top teams do not tolerate poor form for too long unless that player has large amounts of credit in the bank (or they’ve Wirtz’d themselves and have to play the player). The better we become, the more ruthless we’ll be with our players by necessity and at that point, players will either meet the prerequisite bar or they won’t play.

I actually hope both Amad and Mbeumo turn it around, but if they do not, the room for sentiment over progression will not be there.

 

[Hammondo]

My feeling is that we don't have enough goals in us as a team so we have to upgrade at least one of the starting positions if we want to do anything more than shoot for CL qualification each season. In a hypothesized front line of Cunha - Sesko - Mbeumo/Amad, it feels like the RW position is the one which is going to yield the least productivity or creativity. Amad and Mbeumo can have squad roles for us long term but it feels like theirs a cap on where we can go as a team unless we upgrade on them.

If you look at # of goals scored by the Champions of the last ten seasons, it reads the following: 96, 94, 99, 83, 95, 106, 85, 68 (Leicester), 73.

An average of almost 89 goals. Taking Leicester to be an outlier, it's 91 goals. We are on track for 66-67. Now, I don't see Cunha or Mbeumo taking their output with us to a higher level, I think what we see now is what we'll get. Where are we getting another 20ish goals from? Sesko, if he develops, maybe another 10 to what he has now. Maybe Amad can add a couple more. But ultimately, I think we need to head to market for a player who can bring either productivity in terms of goals and/or creativity to help us create more chances.

The midfield has a massive impact on our goal scoring, so until we fix it we can't fairly judge our attacking players.