Ruben Amorim insists it is a ‘lie’ that Manchester United signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha joined the Red Devils purely for financial rewards. Both forwards are said to have rejected offers from Champions League clubs to join the struggling Red Devils.
Their respective decisions to opt against playing in Europe’s elite competition in favour of joining a fallen giant and last season’s 15th-best Premier League club have raised eyebrows. Mbeumo is widely reported to have turned down a move to Tottenham, where his former Brentford boss, Thomas Frank, is ushering in a new era in North London. Cunha could also have swapped Wolves for the Champions League, but joined United instead after his £62.5million release clause was activated. Amorim is unhappy that outsiders have suggested the duo were motivated by money.
“Cunha and Bryan, they had different solutions [offers],” Amorim told United’s website. “They had Champions League offers. And they wanted to come here. People that say that they come here because of the money… that is a lie. That I know for sure. So, I’m really happy with that.
“That is the key point. They have to want to come here. I think what we can do to the fans is that we want players who have proved [themselves] already. Sometimes you have a player with a lot of potential, you have to be aware of that, but all the players that are coming, we need to know the player. We need to talk to the player, we have to explain the project.
“And then one really important thing is that they want to come here. That is the key point. If during the market we can find someone that can help the team and have all that boxes with them, we are going to do it. If not, we cannot do it because it’s an important time in our club.”
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Upon signing for United, Mbeumo said: “As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams; the team whose shirt I wore growing up. My mentality is to always be better than I was yesterday. I know that I have the spirit and character to reach another level here, learning from Ruben Amorim and playing alongside world-class players.”
United failed to qualify for any European competition last season. They finished 15th in the Premier League after a dismal campaign.
To compound their misery, they lost the Europa League final against Tottenham. Winning that competition would have gifted them a pass into the Champions League through the back door.