Bruno Fernandes is not Man United’s most important player, they have one bigger priority

Manchester United boast a new talisman among their ranks – and it’s not Bruno Fernandes.

That’s the view of ex-Premier League striker Tony Cascarino, who instead hailed summer signing Bryan Mbeumo as the club’s most important player.

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The Cameroonian has made a superb start to life at Old Trafford after securing a £65million switch from Brentford in July.

Mbeumo has netted nine times in 19 appearances, including key goals in the recent wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.

His displays have helped United overcome their reliance on Fernandes, who has often been the Red Devils’ saviour since arriving at the club six years ago.

Magic Mbeumo

And while Cascarino is not downplaying the Portuguese’s influence, he believes that Mbeumo’s quality makes him the standout player in Michael Carrick’s side.

Cascarino told talkSPORT: “For what he’s (Fernandes) done, of course he’s one of Manchester United’s most important players, but if you’re talking from today and onwards, is he the most important player?

“I would say Bryan Mbeumo would be.

“I think he’s going to show why so much money was spent on him and also his versatility to be a great player.

“Bruno has done way more and he’s been at Old Trafford for six years. He’s achieved a lot with goals and assists. He’s got great numbers.

“But if you said to me today, who do I think is the most important going forward? I’d say Bryan Mbeumo.

“I talked about him last year. I wanted Liverpool to go after him.”

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Speculation of Fernandes’ future

Fernandes’ future at Old Trafford remains a topic of discussion after coming close to leaving the club last summer following interest from the Saudi Pro League.

His future beyond this summer is already being called into question; however, interim boss Carrick reaffirmed the midfielder’s importance amid the uncertainty.

“I’ve seen the impact he had as soon as he got here. I was obviously here, so I’ve seen it at close quarters,” said Carrick.

“He had a huge impact straight away in so many ways. You could see the passion and how much he wanted to do well straight away.

“You’ve seen the quality and that’s carried on all the way through and his consistency really of performances, his level of performances, his willingness to always put himself out there and physically be able to do it. So, credit him for it in that respect.”

Fernandes has registered 103 goals and 97 assists in 312 games for United.

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However, he has won just two trophies during his time at Old Trafford – the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

He recently disclosed that Manchester United wanted to sell him last summer but did not inform him of their desire, while revealing that he has a clause in his contract that could see him leave this summer.

But Carrick insists his captain is focused on the remainder of the season, with any discussions around his future to be had in the summer.

“We all want to win things. We all want to get better. We want to improve as a team,” Carrick added.

“We want to be successful and that’s something we’ve got to work towards together, but Bruno’s been fantastic since I’ve been here. He was fantastic when I was here before, so I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him.

“That’s not to get too far ahead, you know. That’s [his future] on the agenda a little bit, but my main agenda is getting through the game on Sunday with Fulham, and Bruno’s fully committed.

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“There’s absolutely no issues at all with that. Things further down the line will be addressed towards the end of the season or whatever. But now everything’s positive at the moment.”