Bryan Mbeumo on how Ruben Amorim persuaded him to join Man Utd: ‘There is a very good project here’

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Considering Bryan Mbeumo enjoys playing chess in his spare time, it is not a surprise to hear he kept his composure while awaiting Manchester United’s next move in their prolonged transfer game with Brentford.

While the two clubs engaged in a battle that became acrimonious, amid claim and counterclaim over Mbeumo’s fee, the player himself had patience that the pieces would eventually fall into place. He maintained the view his move to Old Trafford would go through.

“I always trust my people around me,” he says, in his first interview with external media as a United player. “The transfer windows can be long, can be short, so you have to be patient and just try to keep thinking positively about things.

“I was obviously on my holidays, so I just wanted to think about resting mentally and physically and if it was going to happen, it was going to happen. I was convinced that it was going to happen.

“Manchester is a big club. I think it’s a great opportunity. I’m someone who likes a challenge. There is a very good project in Manchester and I wanted to be part of it.”

Tottenham Hotspur, now managed by Thomas Frank, Mbeumo’s former boss at Brentford, were also interested. So too were Newcastle United. Both clubs intimated they would make significant bids. But Ruben Amorim sold the future to Mbeumo. “Yeah, of course, he said, ‘We are people who like winning, and we want to be the best team’, and of course that’s what we will try to do.

“It was a very friendly conversation and a constructive one. He explained his project to me, what he wanted to do and I really clicked on that. Of course I spoke to some other managers because I wanted to hear their projects but the Manchester United one was very good for me.”

Old Trafford was a pull too. “You want to play on the greatest stages in the world, and Old Trafford is one of them, so being able to play here every two weeks is just big.”

Andre Onana, Mbeumo’s team-mate in the Cameroon national side, played his part. “I spoke to him, yeah, he wanted me to come. It’s always good to have someone like him around.”

Finding agreement between Brentford and United took 44 days, with bids going from £45million plus £10m to £65m plus £6m, and Mbeumo made his own move in the process — making clear to his former club he wanted to sign for Manchester United and repeating his mindset when reporting back for pre-season duty on July 14.

Mbeumo with his new club Manchester United in New Jersey last week (Caean Couto/Manchester United/Getty Images)

Mbeumo did a couple of gym sessions but no pitch work with Brentford as negotiations stepped up, meaning he is about a fortnight behind the rest of his new team-mates, who mostly returned to Carrington on July 7. He did not feature against West Ham United on Sunday in New Jersey and will also be absent from Thursday’s friendly against Bournemouth in Chicago as he increases his match fitness. Amorim hopes to use him in the final game of United’s U.S. tour against Everton in Atlanta on Sunday.

In the meantime, he is undertaking extra endurance training. One drill on Monday involved him joining a group of younger players who have not featured much so far either, dribbling with the ball into a crossing position, running back at high speed, and then doing a recovery jog.

Away from those intense actions, 25-year-old Mbeumo has cut a reflective figure, quieter than the big personality of Matheus Cunha. Again, there are signs of his enjoyment of chess.

“Chess, even if it’s not physical, there is a lot of thought,” Mbeumo says. “When you play football you have to think as well. Playing chess you can see some moves ahead because it is a strategy game. In football you have your strategy as well so you can link them together.”

He adds: “I’m not that crazy good. But if you know the rating, I’m like 800 on chess.com.”

According to chess.com, a rating of 800 indicates a player who understands basic opening principles, can spot some tactical patterns, and plot endgame techniques. Those skills seem appropriate under a head coach in Amorim who likes to build up from the back, drill his players on exact positioning, and needs more goals this season.

Mbeumo continues: “There was a one period where I was really, really into it. I was watching videos on YouTube doing training on the app. I think even for the brain, it’s really, really good. You can develop new skills.

“Obviously, you’re doing football most of the time, every day, so you sometimes you don’t really have time to develop on other skills. I like creativity and stuff.

“I watched Queen’s Gambit. It was really good. I’ve not watched the Magnus Carlsen documentary yet. Maybe I should.

“Playing online is anonymous. I have a username, you choose a nickname and just play against random people online, and I use my own chess board against them.

“I’ve been told that Josh (Zirkzee) plays, so I might need to play against him and bring in the chess board.”

Mbeumo with Manchester United’s director of football Jason Wilcox after signing for the club (Manchester United/Getty Images)

Figuring his way around Amorim’s tactics board is an important aspect to pre-season for Mbeumo. He has shown his flexibility at Brentford, playing as a right-winger in a 4-3-3, or up top in a 3-5-2. He is earmarked for the right-sided No 10 in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, but is open to operating at centre-forward, or perhaps even right wing-back if he swaps with Amad during games.

“Now, in football, you have to be adaptable and be able to play in a few other positions than what you’d say is your best,” he says. “Obviously I’ve played as a winger mainly at Brentford but I don’t have one specific position where I feel I can do the best. With Brentford I used to also play a 10 in the pocket or even as a No 9.

“It will help me because I’ve played in many formations before. But it’s different because it’s a new time now and every season is different.”

Mbeumo scored 20 Premier League goals last term and is not shy about his ambitions for next season. “As a forward, you always want to make an imprint in the game, helping people to score or scoring yourself. This is really important for me.

“I always want to be better than I was yesterday. I’m very demanding on myself. I don’t like to put limits on myself.”

Amorim will hope he can bring the buccaneer spirit he showed at Brentford to United. “We had in our heads that we could win every game,” Mbeumo says. “So we just try to not be scared of the names in their team and then we just try to play.”

The only time Mbeumo does get nervous is when playing the piano, his other cerebral hobby.

“The piano is nothing really linked to football. It just makes me take time for me and relax myself. The thing is, I don’t really like to play in front of people.”

Yet he performs in front of tens of thousands each week. “It’s funny, but it’s so different,” he says. “Even if I play (piano) in front of a couple of friends at home, I’m not exactly shaking but it’s, ‘Oh guys, this is kind of hard for me’. I’m self-taught, not bad.”

Would he strike up the courage to play for his initiation song? “Maybe, let’s see.”

(Top photo: Bryan Mbeumo training in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday; by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

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