‘Incredible’ – Ivan Toney reacts to Bryan Mbeumo’s ‘amazing’ Brentford farewell message
Bryan Mbeumo has said an emotional goodbye to Brentford after his move to Manchester United was finally confirmed.
Man United first made an approach to sign Mbeumo before the end of last season, after the Cameroon international’s 20 goals and eight assists made him one of the most in-demand Premier League players.
Mbeumo had also been linked with a switch to Tottenham after Thomas Frank’s move to North London, but he made clear early on in this summer’s transfer saga that Old Trafford was his preferred destination.
Brentford twice rejected bids from the Red Devils as Keith Andrews’ side held firm on their £70million valuation of Mbeumo, but a breakthrough was finally reached to put this transfer’s wheels into motion.
Man United announce Mbeumo signing
After weeks of offers and rejections going back and forth, United reached an agreement with Brentford for the £71m transfer of Mbeumo on 18 July, and his long-awaited move to Old Trafford is now finalised.
Mbeumo completed his medical at Carrington over the weekend as Man United closed in on signing him, and one of the transfer window’s longest-running sagas culminated with an announcement on 21 July.
The Red Devils finally have their new number 19 in the building, but Mbeumo‘s first Instagram post since his completed transfer was an emotional, Interstellar-themed video to say his goodbyes to Brentford.
Mbeumo’s message said: “Six years that felt like six minutes. It’s time to take off and to leave the Bees Planet. But before I go, I want to thank all of you.
“The board, the coach Thomas Frank with who I had a special connexion from the beginning, the whole staff members, all my team mates, all the people who work in the shadow, in the office, at the training center and at the Gtech and of course, I want to thank you, Fans, for your amazing support no matter what and for every games. You All made me feel home from the first day, and I will never ever forget that.
“It was an incredible journey full of emotion, smile, laugh and you made every moment very special. You’ll always have my heart. We’ll meet again in this dimension and in the others.”
A host of Brentford players past and present left their support, including Ivan Toney who called Mbeumo “my son”.
Man United have no time to waste after Mbeumo transfer
Football Insider Verdict
With Mbeumo’s transfer finally over the line to follow Matheus Cunha through the door at Old Trafford after his much more straight-forward move from Wolves, it’s clear that Man United still have plenty to do.
Andre Onana’s hamstring injury has thrown a spanner in the works for United’s goalkeeping plans this summer, with a move for Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez unlikely unless they can move other players on first.
Ruben Amorim‘s 3-4-2-1 setup exposed some massive flaws across Man United’s existing squad last term, and there’s a long way to go before Red Devils fans can even imagine a campaign without last season’s problems.