Manchester United‘s recruitment policy last summer was a great deal more impressive than it had been and even if things started slowly under Ruben Amorim, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co are now seeing the fruits of their labour during the Michael Carrick regime.
Indeed, nearly a year ago now, the Red Devils took a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book to bring in a batch of Premier League-proven players, namely in the form of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
While the latter has slowed down in recent months, he has no doubt been one of their best signings in years, scoring ten goals so far in his debut campaign at Old Trafford.
Yet, despite those new arrivals in the final third, United could go even bigger in the months to come.
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Much of the chatter surrounding recruitment at Man United has been dominated by midfielders. It’s glaringly obvious that whoever the new manager is over the summer will need to find one or two midfielders, a necessity that has been made even greater by Casemiro’s decision to leave English football behind.
Sandro Tonali has been the most prominent name linked in recent weeks but those at Carrington still have their eyes on Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.
That being said, the transfer chiefs at Old Trafford cannot neglect other areas of the team and more star quality could be added to the forward line.
Indeed, according to reports from TEAMtalk, none other than Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior has been touted to make a move to the Premier League.
They claim that intermediaries have been in talks with not just Man United in English football but also Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea regarding the potential availability of Vini Jr this summer.
Why could he be available? Well, the Brazilian’s contract situation in Madrid is currently very fragile. He has been offered new terms to extend his stay in the Spanish capital, and while the attacker is open to staying, an agreement hasn’t been reached yet.
That said, Real will not make an improved offer, leading to suggestions that Vini could actually leave Spain this summer. PSG and Bayern Munich are also said to have held talks with intermediaries.
How Vini Jr compares to Mbeumo and Cunha
Celebrated as “the best [player] in the world” by Thierry Henry back in 2024 and valued at an astronomical £130m, it’s safe to say Vini Jr is one of the game’s global superstars.
Only losing out on the Ballon d’Or to Rodri a few years ago, his overall output may have somewhat slowed down in recent years, but this is a player who could immediately take Manchester United to the next level.
There is a reason that Brazilian great Cafu once stated that he “can be the new Cristiano Ronaldo”. This season alone, the 25-year-old has 17 goals and nine assists.
In fact, in each of the last four seasons, he has scored over 21 goals with his career best total sitting at 24 back in that Ballon d’Or challenging campaign of 2023/24.
Not just a goalscorer, the Brazilian sensation has been a regular supplier of assists, registering as many as 66 in the last four and a half seasons.
It will come as no surprise to learn that those numbers are considerably better than Mbeumo and Cunha’s. As eye-catching as they have been in United colours, the former’s best season in front of goal came at Brentford last term when he fired home 20 goals in 42 outings. As for Cunha, he has never scored more than 17 in a single season. Coincidentally, that also came in 2024/25.
Their numbers this term tell an even better story as far as Vini is concerned.
|
Vini vs Mbeumo & Cunha in 2025/26 (league only) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
Vini |
Mbeumo |
Cunha |
|
Goals |
0.5 |
0.4 |
0.4 |
|
Shots |
2.5 |
2.2 |
2.2 |
|
Shot accuracy |
57% |
57% |
58% |
|
Conversion rate |
13% |
15% |
9% |
|
Assists |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
|
Chances created |
2.1 |
1.7 |
1.2 |
|
Take-ons completed |
3 |
0.6 |
1.7 |
|
Fouls won |
2.6 |
1.1 |
2.1 |
|
Duels won |
6.6 |
3 |
6.3 |
Analysing the data, unsurprisingly, the Real Madrid superstar is streets ahead in a whole range of metrics, most notably when it comes to chance creation, take-ons completed and fouls won.
While Vini Jr is a menace in front of goal, he’s untouchable inside the penalty area and has proven himself to be an utter nuisance for defenders on the left-hand side of Alvaro Arbeloa’s attack.
A multiple Champions League winner, the Brazil international is a genuine superstar who has absolutely everything in his locker to be a success in the Premier League.
A move to English shores does seem unlikely at the moment but just imagine if United got their hands on him.
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