Despite the disappointment of finishing 15th in the Premier League last season and not having any title to ease the pain, there have been some initial - although small - wins off the pitch for Manchester United.
Matheus Cunha's move to Old Trafford from Wolves has been announced. But the striker is not the only attacking player still interested in Ruben Amorim's project. Bryan Mbeumo is also said to have agreed to join the Reds of Manchester.
In particular, captain Bruno Fernandes has rejected Saudi Arabia's temptation to continue to stick with Man United. The "Red Devils" project has not been revived for a long time, but this is a positive start.
"Cunha and Mbeumo have experience playing in the Premier League. Those are the right players for Man United," said former defender Gary Neville. But that is not the only reason why these two players are placed in the type of answer to Man United's problems.
Scoring was a problem for Man United last season. They are sixth in terms of chances created but only second from bottom in terms of the ability to convert shots into goals. Meanwhile, they are also fourth from bottom in terms of shot accuracy.
Overall, Man United have failed to score in 15 Premier League games last season - only Southampton and Leicester have worse results. And 11 of those games came under Amorim.
They also have a better-than-expected record for expected goals (xG) - the second worst in the league. The numbers show they should have scored at least nine more than their final goal tally of 44.
This is where Cunha and Mbeumo could help if they look at their performances last season.
As Man United struggle in front of the goal, Mbeumo is the best player in the league in terms of xG. The Brentford striker scored more than 7 goals than expected, while Cunha ranked third in the same category.
Therefore, Cunha and Mbeumo can solve the problem that Man United are struggling with. But do the Red Devils need a new striker?
Part of the reason why Man United have gone through many matches without scoring is because they lack a presence in the center forward position.
Rasmus Hojlund ended the 2024-2025 season with the fewest shots and the second fewest expected goals (average per 90 minutes) among Premier League strikers. He also made 14 appearances without taking a single shot. Joshua Zirkzee's form, meanwhile, has not improved.
Both Cunha and Mbeumo are in the same position when it comes to the central striker role. They can take on the "number 9" position if needed, but that is not their strength.
Wolves head coach Pereira admitted Cunha was not a striker last season. He was only forced to play in that position at a time when Jorgen Strand Larsen had physical problems.
Mbeumo has been a centre forward for Brentford and Thomas Frank has highlighted the Cameroonian's ball-holding style as one of the bright spots. But his appearances have been largely in a 3-5-2 formation, where he will pair up with Ivan Toney or Yoane Wissa, rather than being the center-forward himself.
Man United's chase of Liam Delap - the last person to choose Chelsea - proves Amorim's desire to improve his central striker position. Although the club has had a good start in the 2025 summer transfer window, there is still a lot of work to be done.
