Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have both made brilliant starts at Manchester United but Rio Ferdinand has offered a word of caution.
Recruitment has been a major issue for Manchester United in recent years, but Ineos can take pride in the business done last summer.
United paid £62.5m for Matheus Cunha and £65m for Bryan Mbeumo and both deals already look like bargains for the Red Devils.
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Mbeumo is United’s top scorer this season with six goals in all competitions. Matheus Cunha has not been able to match that output, but his impact on the pitch when available has been immense.
Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Mbeumo and Cunha have added confidence to the squad, but he did issue one warning about the duo moving forward.
Rio Ferdinand issues Mbeumo and Cunha warning
Speaking on the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents, Ferdinand warned United that they must not sell Bruno Fernandes as it would impact new signings Mbeumo and Cunha.
“It depends who you’re going to go and get, I’m just saying that if you get rid of him, don’t expect that output to be really like taken on by somebody or two players,” Ferdinand said.
“Listen, Mbeumo and Cunha I think are going to do great for us. But they need a Bruno, they need someone who can supply the chances.
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“Because if he’s gone, I don’t see where that’s coming from. And if you’re gonna sell him for £100 million, you might have to go and spend £100 million to have a chance of getting that. So it doesn’t make sense.
“I think he’s a wonderful footballer. He’s the one that they look at when there’s any time in a game when it needs something, everyone in that team are looking to Bruno.”
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In the summer, Fernandes showed extreme loyalty to United by rejecting a £100 million move to Saudi Arabia.
With Fernandes pushed back to a midfield role this season, there have been questions about whether United will regret not cashing in on their captain.
But the likes of Mbeumo and Cunha are still settling in at United, and while they can be talismans under Ruben Amorim, they will settle in easier with Fernandes taking off the pressure to score and assist.
Fernandes recently overtook Paul Scholes for assists in the Premier League. Whenever the Red Devils are in need of a game-winner, Fernandes steps up.
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