One aspect of Bryan Mbeumo’s game Carrick must harness to sharpen Man United’s attack | OneFootball

Under Michael Carrick, it has been either Bryan Mbeumo or Benjamin Sesko leading the attack. The two have rarely played together.

Yet, according to Ollie Watkins‘ admissions on Rio Meets, Carrick may have missed a trick by not starting them alongside each other more frequently.

In a chat with Rio Ferdinand, the Aston Villa striker spoke about the one trait in Mbeumo’s locker that could prove very handy for United.

Mbeumo can be a great playmaker

Having played as a striker with Mbeumo operating as a winger at Brentford, Watkins described the Cameroonian as an interesting playmaker whose unselfishness would always create plenty of goalscoring chances.

“So, and Bryan was always so unselfish,” Watkins said.

“Like, whenever we’re around the box, or there’s times where he could maybe shoot, he would always look to cross it and set me up.

“So yeah, it was an enjoyable time. It’s nice to see that. Yeah, they’ve had good careers, and they’re successful.”

In Watkins’ last full season at Brentford before his move to Villa, he found the back of the net 26 times, and Mbeumo’s seven assists that campaign likely played no small part in that tally.

That said, Mbeumo’s statistics paint him more as a goalscorer than a provider. Last season, for instance, he managed 11 league goals but contributed only three assists.

Partnership with Sesko can get the best out of both

If Carrick can unlock the playmaker in Mbeumo, it could significantly boost United’s goal production.

Should Mbeumo look to support Benjamin Sesko, much as Watkins says he did for him, rather than purely chase goals himself, it could give the Slovenian striker the platform for a fine season, perhaps even putting him in contention for the Golden Boot.

Exciting times await United fans. Hopefully, next season, things click, and supporters get to see the best version of Mbeumo, scoring plenty of goals while also providing more assists.

Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images

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