Why Bruno and Bryan can be a lethal combination
All Manchester United fans are looking forward to seeing how Bryan Mbeumo can help increase the side's attacking output.
Our new no.19 scored 20 goals for Brentford in last season's Premier League and also provided seven assists, including one against the Reds.
One exciting element is how he can thrive on the service provided by captain Bruno Fernandes. The skipper caught up with the Cameroon forward on the plane out to the United States and declared he wanted goals from the man everybody had been waiting for.
The hope is that this is a wish the Portuguese magnifico will be instrumental in ensuring comes true, due to his remarkable creativity.
Supporters could get a first glimpse of Mbeumo in action for the Reds when our Premier League Summer Series campaign kicks off against West Ham United at 00:00 BST on Sunday morning.
The clash with the Hammers in New Jersey is live on MUTV for non-US residents, and it is bound to provide some pointers for the new season.
Last term, Fernandes created 91 chances in the league, according to Opta, more than anybody else. Mbeumo was in fifth spot (70), behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Chelsea duo Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, also illustrating his prowess in this area.
Bruno carved out 29 opportunities from set-pieces, compared to Mbeumo's 20, with both, again, among the leaders in the division in this aspect.
Mbeumo's 'expected-assists' tally of 9.3, was the most in the Premier League, but he will also be asked to get on the end of things under Ruben Amorim.
His conversion-rate for shots was an impressive 23.5 per cent and it is well documented that he outperformed his xG (expected goals) more than any of his peers, highlighting how clinical a campaign the 25-year-old enjoyed in his final year with the Bees.
But how do we know he will benefit from Fernandes's probings?
Well, Opta have explained how Bruno stands alone when it comes to defensive line-breaking passes, defined as a completed, forward pass that breaks an opponent's defensive line, typically formed by the deepest players.
DEFENSIVE LINE-BREAKING PASSES 2024/25
1. BRUNO FERNANDES (UNITED): 89
2: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United): 71
3: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, now Real Madrid): 65
4: Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford), Alex Iwobi (Fulham): 56
Our skipper's 58 line-breaking passes leading to shots outperformed every other player and his 50 into the opposition box was only bettered by namesake Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United.
So, if he still keeps loading the bullets, will Mbeumo be able to fire them? The statistics suggest he is more than capable of doing this.
The African attacker has the sort of movement that should be spotted by our no.8, time and time again.
MOST RUNS IN BEHIND 2024/25
1. BRYAN MBEUMO (BRENTFORD, NOW UNITED): 418
2. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa): 407
3. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): 390
4. Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea): 357
5. Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves): 342
Some 13 of these runs ended in a goal, second only to Liverpool star Salah, and, on paper, it would appear his combination with Bruno could be one to seriously increase United's attacking threat in 2025/26.
Mbeumo will, naturally, need time to settle at his new club and we wait to see how much involvement he is given in the MUTV live game against West Ham.
However, he and Matheus Cunha both have proven Premier League pedigree when it comes to finding the net and providing a constant attacking threat.
A lack of goals was an issue last term for Ruben's men.
The stats generated by those two acquisitions hopefully suggest that will not be the case again in 2025/26.