Bryan Mbeumo, the £71M star who chose a challenge over comfort, has opened up about why he picked Manchester United over clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham. Despite offers to play in the Champions League next season, Mbeumo says it wasn’t about trophies or Europe’s biggest stage. It was about the mission.
Mbeumo, who recently left Brentford, admitted that the challenge of helping Manchester United rise again was too good to turn down. He believes in the club’s vision, and he wants to be part of rebuilding one of football’s biggest names.
“United is a big club. It’s a great opportunity and I chose the project,” he said. “I’m someone who likes a challenge. There is a very good project here and I wanted to be a part of it.”
The forward, who scored 20 league goals last season, had been on holiday while transfer talks were ongoing. He stayed calm and trusted the process, waiting for the right decision to come to life.
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“The manager said ‘we are people who like winning and we want to be the best team’. It was a very friendly conversation. He explained his project to me, what he wanted to do and I really clicked on that.”
Though he’ll now play in front of 75,000 passionate fans at Old Trafford, Mbeumo has a surprising fear, playing the piano in front of friends. Music is his safe space, but not his stage.
“The piano just makes me take time for me and relax myself,” he shared. “But I don’t really like to play in front of people. Even if I play in front of a couple of friends at home, it’s kind of hard for me.”
Interestingly, the calm, focused mindset needed to master the piano has helped Mbeumo on the pitch too. And it doesn’t stop there, he’s also hooked on chess.
“With chess, there is a lot of thought. When you play football, you have to think as well. It’s a strategy game. In football you have your strategy too, so you can link them together.”
He plays anonymously online and has a chess.com rating of about 800. Not grandmaster level, but clearly someone who enjoys the mental battle.
“I’m not crazy good. But I was really into it for a while, watching videos and doing training on the app. It’s really good for the brain.”
This love for creativity, from piano to chess, shows another side of the 24-year-old forward. He isn’t just about goals and assists. He’s about learning, growing, and pushing himself in every area.
“Obviously you’re doing football most of the time, every day, so sometimes you don’t really have time to develop other skills. But I like creativity and stuff.”
When asked about the other clubs that came calling: Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, Mbeumo said he respected their approaches. But none of them matched United’s long-term plan.
“I spoke to some other managers because I wanted to hear their projects,” he revealed. “But the Manchester United one was very good for me.”
It’s not easy to turn down Champions League football, but for Mbeumo, the idea of playing at a historic ground like Old Trafford every other week was too special to ignore.
“Another part as well is because you want to play on the greatest stages in the world and Old Trafford is one of them. So being able to play there every two weeks is big.”
Bryan Mbeumo arrives at Manchester United not just with goals in his boots, but ideas in his mind. Whether it’s helping United rise again, learning to play piano without fear, or playing chess moves before bed, he’s always thinking a few steps ahead.
And that, perhaps, is exactly why United wanted him.
