It was exactly a year ago that Manchester United officially confirmed the signing of Bryan Mbeumo, the Cameroonian winger joining on an initial £65m deal from Brentford, despite intense rival interest.
Tottenham Hotspur had been among the lengthy list of suitors, yet Mbeumo seemingly made it apparent that he only had eyes for Old Trafford, fresh from having scored 20 Premier League goals across 2024/25.
The 26-year-old didn’t manage to replicate that feat last time out, scoring just 11 league goals and 12 in all competitions, yet it was still a respectable debut campaign, one littered with key goals against the likes of Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Heading into the new season, both he and Amad are expected to battle it out to be Michael Carrick’s starting option on the right flank, although could a new arrival complicate matters in that regard?
Why Man Utd might still need to sign a new right-winger
Much of the talk at present is centred around United’s left-wing search, although Carrick does have Matheus Cunha and Patrick Dorgu to choose from on that side, as well as the returning Marcus Rashford.
Perhaps it is actually the right wing that needs looking at, with Amad notably enduring a difficult 2026 so far, his only goal involvement post-AFCON coming courtesy of an assist on the final day against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Previously a star of 2024/25 under Ruben Amorim, having reached double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions, the Ivorian has struggled since the move away from a 3-4-2-1 system, albeit while netting twice for his country at the World Cup.
As for Mbeumo, the one-time Troyes man was primarily signed to be the starting option off the right, although much of his best work actually came as a striker, particularly under Carrick’s watch.
Indeed, in the Englishman’s first two games back at the helm against both City and Arsenal, Mbeumo led the line and scored on both occasions, producing a particularly memorable finish in the derby.
Amad vs Mbeumo – 25/26 PL stats | ||
|---|---|---|
Amad | Stat (*per game) | Mbeumo |
32 | Games | 33 |
2 | Goals | 11 |
1172 | Mins per goal | 238 |
6 | Big chances missed | 13 |
3 | Assists | 3 |
7 | Big chances created | 6 |
1.3 | Key passes* | 1.4 |
88% | Pass accuracy* | 79% |
1.2 | Succ. dribbles* | 0.5 |
1.2 | Fouls won* | 0.8 |
After netting against Spurs soon after, he then went on an 11-game run without a goal, prior to netting in the two final games of the campaign against Nottingham Forest and Brighton, again while having lined up as a striker.
With Benjamin Sesko struggling to stay injury-free, Mbeumo’s future could lie through the middle, leaving the door open to a right-sided addition.
Man Utd could now be looking at £80m Premier League star
Unlike last year, where INEOS showed their muscle to secure their top targets in the form of Cunha and Mbeumo, this summer has proven a little more taxing, with the truly elite, marquee signings yet to emerge.
Man City’s £116m signing of Elliot Anderson, alongside Chelsea’s imminent £117m capture of Morgan Rogers, has highlighted that this is an inflated market, with there wisdom in being patient when it comes to the next transfer move.
One player whom United do appear to have their eye on is Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, with Fabrizio Romano – speaking on his YouTube channel – revealing that the Senegalese sensation is a player that INEOS really “like”.
“Another player, for example, appreciated by Manchester United is Iliman Ndiaye at Everton is another player they like, but Manchester United are not proceeding, are not progressing because of this Rashford situation.
“So in case of any development any changes I will let you know. For Iliman Ndiaye, many clubs have been calling, for example, I told you about United, clubs from abroad a few weeks ago.
“Also, Aston Villa had some conversations but for Iliman Ndiaye it’s important to say that he’s very expensive, he’s a really important player, so that’s why we have to understand what’s going to happen there as for Everton [he] is a crucial crucial player.”
Now, Ndiaye – who could fetch in the region of £69m – would certainly be an option to slot in on the left flank too, although he has primarily operated on the right under David Moyes of late, particularly with Jack Grealish utilised on the opposite side.
It was in a right-sided role that the ex-Marseille man supplied the assist for Ibrahim Mbiaye in Senegal’s group stage opener against France, with it somewhat of a surprise that he didn’t feature more regularly prior to his country’s early exit.
Perhaps not yet a key man at international level, Ndiaye certainly is back on Merseyside, having racked up a respectable tally of nine goals and assists in the Premier League last term, having scored nine times the year prior.
He did notably create seven ‘big chances’ last term, but where the one-time Sheffield United man really excels is as a ball-carrier, someone who plays as if the ball is glued to his foot.
Indeed, there’s almost an Eden Hazard-like quality to the way he holds off defenders with his low centre of gravity, while possessing the speed and trickery to bamboozle full-backs with ease, as seen in his average of 2.3 successful dribbles per game in 2025/26.
For context, he ranked second in the division behind only Man City’s Jeremy Doku in terms of total successful dribbles completed, highlighting just what a force he is in that regard.
Encouragingly from a United context too, Ndiaye has been hailed as being like a “mix of Amad and Mbeumo” by former Red Devils striker, Louis Saha, boding well for the impact he can make at Old Trafford.
He certainly shares the ball-carrying quality of Amad, who averaged 1.6 successful dribbles in 2024/25, while boasting the innate finishing prowess of Mbeumo, memorably rifling home a thumping effort against Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
At 26, Ndiaye, like Mbeumo a year ago, is of prime age to come in and be an immediate success, with this quietly set to be one of the deals of the summer if INEOS can pull it off.
