Bryan Mbeumo has not ruled out reaching 20 Premier League goals in his first season with United, refusing to impose limits on what he can achieve after an encouraging start. The Cameroon international troubled Arsenal with his movement on the opening weekend, then netted a maiden United goal against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in late August. He now has four more in nine league appearances, scoring twice in the most recent match.

Asked after the win over Brighton & Hove Albion, which completed a third successive league victory under Ruben Amorim and followed an earlier two-game run, Mbeumo was clear about his ambitions. “I always try to aim big in everything that I do,” he said. “I try not to set limits on myself and on what I can reach. I am just going to work on that as much as possible.

“Everyone wants to fight for as high as possible,” the player added, noting United’s sudden climb up the table and the fact they sit only two points behind second-place Bournemouth. “We want to win as many games as we can and that is what we are going to try and do.”

United’s summer recruitment reshaped the forward line. In addition to spending big on Mbeumo, the club agreed to pay £62.5 million for Matheus Cunha and up to £73.7 million for Benjamin Šeško. Cunha opened his United account with a high-quality goal against Brighton, and all three forwards have contributed to the goals tally so far.

Mbeumo stressed the work required behind the scenes to build understanding with new teammates. “It hasn’t been easy obviously because we all came this year and we tried to make the connections in training,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy coming into this environment, a big club, the expectations are not easy to handle but with the teammates, everyone is helping me, helping the team, helping the new players and I think that was very important.

“We are very happy for [Cunha]. We are growing the link-ups between [myself, Cunha, Šeško]. Of course, the pressure is off [Cunha’s] shoulders with the goal, he was waiting for it.”

If Mbeumo reaches 20 league goals in 2025–26, he would be United’s first 20-goal Premier League scorer since Robin van Persie (26) in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. Last season, no United player reached double figures in the league for the first time in the club’s recent history.

Rio Ferdinand has urged Kobbie Mainoo to take inspiration from Casemiro as he looks to revive his prospects at Manchester United. Ferdinand argued that the Brazil international’s return to the starting line-up under Ruben Amorim offers a blueprint for a young player pushed to the periphery.

Casemiro is now among the first names on the team sheet in Ruben Amorim’s resurgent side, perhaps at Mainoo’s expense. The 20-year-old academy graduate has struggled for minutes under the Portuguese boss and has not started in the Premier League this season. A request to leave on loan in the summer was rejected, leaving Mainoo forced to accept short cameos late on in games while his dreams of travelling to the 2026 World Cup with England appear to fade.

Ferdinand was clear that he did not want to see Mainoo abandon his United career and highlighted the example set by Casemiro. “Watch and learn,” he said on YouTube. “There was a player being told he’s not good enough for Manchester United, exactly what Mainoo’s been through. I think character-wise, personality-wise, there’s a lot to learn from Casemiro.

“Yes there’s football-wise too but they are very different players.”

He also pointed to the value of fighting for a place at the club and criticised the attitude of some academy graduates. “[Casemiro’s fight] is what I think a lot of fans would have wanted from Rashford, from [Jadon] Sancho from Antony, those guys have gone elsewhere now,” Ferdinand said. “Especially Rashford because he’s homegrown. Just stay and fight, be here and fight for it, be a Man Utd player, hold on, grit your teeth and hold on by your fingernails. But sometimes it’s just not the way.”

On Mainoo’s immediate chances, Ferdinand acknowledged the competition he faces. “You’ve got Casemiro, a man in form and Bruno [Fernandes], the most exciting player we’ve got, it’s going to be hard for Kobbie to get in here right now,” he acknowledged. The message was straightforward: learn from Casemiro and keep fighting for minutes at Old Trafford.

Manchester United remain uncertain about Jadon Sancho’s next step after his loan spell at Aston Villa has produced limited minutes and little market momentum. United had hoped the loan would mirror Marcus Rashford’s six-month spell at Villa Park in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign, but that scenario has yet to unfold.

Sancho has made just five appearances for Villa so far and was substituted after being introduced from the bench in Sunday’s 1–0 victory over Manchester City. The Manchester Evening News report United have not agreed a plan for Sancho’s next move.

The 25-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford runs until next summer, with United holding the option to extend for a further 12 months. Letting the deal expire would mean United accepting a total loss on the £73 million they paid in 2021. Extending the contract would preserve the possibility of a fee in a sale but would carry the risk of another 12 months of his substantial wages if an acceptable offer does not arrive.

United see no long-term future for Sancho at the club and are hoping a successful loan at Villa Park will sustain some value and attract interest next summer. Any decision on the contract extension is expected later in the season, once Sancho has had more time to demonstrate his form at Villa.

Sancho’s start at Villa has been slow. He played just eight minutes across his first three Premier League games before illness sidelined him. He returned to start in the midweek Europa League defeat to Go Ahead Eagles, his second start for the club, but drew attention when he was substituted on and then off in the same match against his former employers.

Emery addressed the episode and acknowledged the player’s feelings while underlining fitness concerns. “Yes, sure [Sancho] is not happy, but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,” Emery explained. “When [Buendia] was injured, my plan was maybe in case [Sancho] was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.

“But my plan was when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not playing all the minutes until the last moment. And I told him as well, he can feel it, it’s embarrassing.

“Before Morgan, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey, they felt the same when I subbed them, but it was not a punishment. And now it’s not a punishment.

“He played 45 minutes, I am so happy because his impact was good, his electricity, his skill, but then to play more than now… he’s not ready, fit, to play 90 minutes, 45 minutes is not easy enough for him and I am happy and of course, progressively he’s coming better and better.”