Sports
“Pogba-esque” Man Utd star looks like INEOS’ best deal yet
Amid a dismal 2024/25 campaign, Manchester United appeared to be drifting ever closer to one-man team territory, with Bruno Fernandes again topping the charts for goals and assists, after registering 38 goal involvements in total from his midfield berth.
It is early days, although perhaps there has been a changing of the guard, or a share of the responsibility at the very least, with Bryan Mbreumo arguably the first attack-minded player since Fernandes himself to truly hit the ground running for the Red Devils.
Jadon Sancho never recovered from a delayed start due to an ear infection. Antony’s form swiftly tailed off after scoring on his first three Premier League outings. Rasmus Hojlund took until Boxing Day to net his first league goal for the club.
So many expensive transfer misfires, yet Mbeumo – on the early evidence – looks to be bucking the trend, already notching seven times in just his first 16 games across league and cup.
He hasn’t been perfect, notably failing to register a goal or assist in muted displays against Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham United, although six league strikes from 15 top-flight appearances certainly makes for good reading.
The 26-year-old – who is soon set to head to AFCON – is already solidifying himself as one of the best signings of modern times at United, but is he actually INEOS’ best deal to date?
How Mbeumo’s start compares to previous United signings
So many transfers have backfired in even just the years since Fernandes’ arrival back in January 2020, with forward players proving particularly erratic despite the hundreds of millions that have been invested.
While Mbeumo is only 15 Premier League games into his Old Trafford journey, the hope will be that he can maintain such early, rampant form, with new signings having usually been figured out by this stage.
Take Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having already been sacked by the time of the 15th league appearance of his second spell, albeit with the Portuguese having scored eight top-flight goals in that time.
In the case of Edinson Cavani, who arrived the year earlier, the Uruguayan hitman had netted five league goals in that time, albeit while having been hampered by fitness issues upon his move to Manchester.
The man who signed in the same summer as Ronaldo, in the form of Sancho, had netted just once in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea under Michael Carrick, while it took the aforementioned Antony until April to add his fourth league goal, following those three early efforts in succession.
Hojlund’s woes have already been made clear, with 2024 arrival, Joshua Zirkzee, scoring three times in his first 15 league outings of last season, albeit while failing to net again until the recent trip to Selhurst Park.
Mbeumo, hopefully, will kick on and continue to light up Old Trafford following his international committments, with INEOS currently being rewarded for their Ā£65m investment.
That being said, he might not actually prove to be the new regime’s best deal of recent times…
Man Utd’s best deal yet under INEOS
Mbeumo has been a delight under Ruben Amorim thus far, although considering the nature of his price tag, perhaps that is merely to be expected, not least after the Cameroonian international netted 20 league goals for Brentford last term.
Considering his proven Premier League quality, his stellar impact is perhaps not too surprising, with there likely more a sense of relief at boardroom level that this isn’t merely another costly move that has gone awry.
Mbeumo’s talents, such was his form last season, in particular, were not too difficult to spot, with a range of top-flight rivals having also been chasing his signature over the summer, including Thomas Frank’s Tottenham.
Plucking out a more left-field, relative unknown gem is far more satisfying, with young Ayden Heaven no doubt a contender to emerge as INEOS’ best deal yet – not least in a business sense.
Indeed, while the 19-year-old has made just 11 first-team appearances for his new club in 2025, the early signs are that the Red Devils have snapped up a bargain, after landing the teenager from Arsenal for a fee of just Ā£1m.
That price tag had led to the expectation that Heaven would merely slot into the academy set-up following his January arrival, although it was notable that he was categorised as a first-team player by the club once the move was confirmed.
Last season was cruelly hampered by the injury sustained away at Leicester City, although the England international did show flashes of his quality, namely starring against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Previously described by his grassroots football coach Terry Bobie as looking “Paul Pogba-esque” after starting out as a midfielder, the towering left-footer found a natural home for himself at left centre-back under Amorim, leading to club legend Wayne Rooney to dish out praise for him last term.
Rooney on Heaven: āHe looks like heās been there for years and thatās the biggest compliment I can give him.ā
As for 2025/26, the Ā£1m gem was on the periphery after starting in the horror show at Grimsby, although he returned to action in a central centre-back berth against West Ham United, in the absence of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.
That outing was a learning curve, following his eventual withdrawal at half-time, although the 6 foot 4 sensation looked far more comfortable away at Molineux last time out.
As per Sofascore, Heaven completed 100% of his duels, recorded a 100% pass rate and lost the ball just once in that 4-1 victory, looking particularly assured even in what is something of a new role.
It’s also worth noting that he was up against a man who scored 14 Premier League goals last season, in the form of Jorgen Strand Larsen, yet hardly looked troubled, as United cantered to victory in the second half.
The sample size is small considering his limited game time under Amorim to date, although considering he is currently being given the nod ahead of Ā£50m man, Leny Yoro, it certainly highlights just what a talent the Old Trafford side have on their hands.
Having forked out just Ā£1m, it’s hard to see INEOS being able to top such an astute duel, while the ability to poach him from a rival, well, that just makes it all the sweeter.
Amorim’s new Mount: INEOS hunting Man Utd deal to sign Ā£150k-p/w “monster”
Manchester United look set to make a move for a new midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.
