Big-money transfers haven’t been alien to Manchester United over the last couple of years, with mammoth funds being splashed on numerous talents in the transfer window.
At present, the Red Devils’ £89m deal to re-sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in the summer of 2016 remains their record signing, but the club have been perilously close to breaking such a sum in recent windows.
Antony joined during the Erik ten Hag reign, moving to Old Trafford alongside the boss after spending multiple years with the Dutchman at Eredivisie outfit Ajax.
The deal for the Brazilian will go down as one of the worst in English history, scoring just 12 times in his 96 appearances in Manchester after joining the club for a staggering £86m.
The 25-year-old has since left in a £19m deal to join Spanish side Real Betis – with Ruben Amorim’s side taking a £67m loss on the investment made back in the summer of 2022.
However, there’s a new attacker at the Theatre of Dreams trying to avoid suffering a similar fate in his quest to help catapult the side back to their former glory in the near future.
United’s move to land Bryan Mbeumo this summer
After ending the 2024/25 campaign in a measly 15th place in the Premier League, huge changes were needed at United during the off-season to prevent a repeat this time around.
Amorim wasted no time in clearing the deadwood out from his first-team squad, subsequently freeing up valuable wages to land new top-level talent to transform the club’s fortunes.
Bryan Mbeumo was one of three big-money attacking reinforcements made during the summer, arriving in a package totalling £71m including potential add-ons.
The Cameroonian international scored 20 times in the Premier League for Brentford last campaign, ending the year as only one of five players to achieve such a feat in England’s top-flight.
Whilst it’s undoubtedly another expensive addition made by the hierarchy, it’s one that has injected needed top-flight experience into the current squad to aid their ambitions of rising up the table.
At 26, he will be entering his prime years at Old Trafford, also having the opportunity to make himself a fan-favourite during any attempt of domestic and continental success.
Mbeumo has already made an immediate impact in 2025/26, scoring twice in his first four outings for the Red Devils – arguably being the biggest threat currently available to Amorim within the final third.
Whilst his early form in Manchester has given supporters a newfound sense of optimism, the hierarchy could’ve saved themselves millions had they put more faith in one talent who left a couple of years ago.
The former United star who is just like Mbeumo
The Ten Hag era at United was certainly a topsy-turvy one, achieving great feats like winning the FA Cup, but also getting hammered 7-0 by rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
His recruitment in the transfer market was also extremely lacklustre, splashing big money on players who ultimately failed to cut it in the Premier League – as seen by Antony’s spell at the club.
Casemiro was another addition made during his tenure, costing a fee in the region of £70m from Real Madrid despite being 30 at the time of his switch to England.
Numerous of his outgoings also proved to be mistakes, with the decision to offload Anthony Elanga for just £15m another blunder made when he was at the helm.
The Swede came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, going on to make 55 appearances over a three-year period – but only 26 of which came during Ten Hag’s spell in charge.
He failed to net a single goal during the 2022/23 campaign, leading to his subsequent move to Nottingham Forest that summer in a deal that catapulted him to the next level.
Elanga spent two years at the City Ground, racking up 11 goals and 21 assists in his 82 appearances – subsequently catapulting the Reds to Europe for the first time in three decades – before joining Newcastle United in a £60m deal this summer.
One of his efforts came against United last campaign, producing an incredible 85-yard solo effort which saw Nuno Espírito Santo’s side claim a 1-0 win over Amorim’s men.
As a result of his performances, he was labelled as a similar player to new addition Mbeumo by FBref, managing to outperform the £71m man in numerous key areas.
The Swede managed to post a higher shot on target accuracy rate in 2024/25 (55%), subsequently making the most of the opportunities falling his way and demonstrating his clinical nature.
His dominance over the Cameroonian is further reflected in his higher tally of key passes per 90 (1.9) and carries into the opposition box per 90 (2.7) – having the technical ability to subsequently cause the opposition havoc.
That’s an attribute that’s been outlined much through Elanga’s career, with former Red Devil Paul Parker once stating that he is like “a young Ryan Giggs” in the way he drives forward with possession.
Games played
38
38
Goals & assists
17
27
Shot on target accuracy
55%
43%
Key passes made
1.9
1.8
Progressive carries
2.7
1.9
Carries into the opposition box
2.7
1.9
Crosses completed
6.7
5.3
Fould drawn
1.7
1.1
Tallies such as 3.7 progressive carries per 90 and 6.7 crosses completed per 90 were also higher than those produced by Mbeumo – further showcasing the constant threat he possesses in attacking areas.
Given the lack of success from the United first team in recent years, the decision to allow Elanga to depart now looks to be a huge mistake – especially given his rapid development away from the Theatre of Dreams.
Undoubtedly, there’s huge excitement around Mbeumo at present, but the club may well have been better off keeping hold of the Swede instead of splashing yet more funds on a new attacker.