EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Mbeumo's FIRST Man Utd Interview! | Who Convinced Him?! | Rio Meets

0:00Guessing is for game shows, not your business. Workday is the enterprise AI platform for HR, finance and IT. With AI grounded in your context to get work done and done right. It's a new Workday. For this episode of Rio Meats, I have travelled to the United States and got the first interview with Manchester United's new signing, Brian Mbuma. Along with Matthias Cunha from Wolves, Mbuma has been signed to help a team that has scored the 16th fewest goals in the Premier League last season. He's been playing football in England for the last six seasons and was the top scorer for Brentford when only Salah, Isak and Haaland scored more Premier League goals than this guy.

0:43So I can't wait to hear from the man whose job it is to score the goals to fire Manchester United back up the table.

0:54Hey, Brian. How you doing, man? Very good, you? You good? Welcome. Welcome to the club, man. Thank you very much. How are you enjoying it so far? It's nice. Yeah? Yeah, good feeling. Good feeling. That feeling when you sign is like, you can't explain it, innit? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, really happy. Yeah. Take us back to that first day. How nervous were you coming and meeting your new teammates and stuff? Or was you cool? I was cool. Not nervous. But yeah, obviously when I don't really know people, I'm not someone who is really loud or something. Fortunately for me, I knew Andre and Lenny. So I think it was nice to know at least some guys before.

1:43And now the chance I have now, I joined the summer tour quick. So I think it's really good to get to know everyone here because you spend 24 hours a day with them. So I think it's really important. I saw it on your socials. You were with Lenny. I think Kobi was there as well. What were you training together? No, I just met Lenny on holiday, so obviously he knew there were some rumours for me, for United. Was he saying, come man, you've got to come? I saw that you always found it important to have good conversations with the manager, your previous team. Obviously, you come here, new manager, Ruben, and take me back to that first conversation you had with him.

2:33Yeah, it was a really good conversation. We talked about everything, a bit about life and stuff before, talking about football. So yeah, it was really constructive as well. I felt like he wanted me from day one as well. So I think this is something really important for me because of the feeling that the manager wants me. What do you feel after that conversation is going to be your role here in the team? Of course, in football now, it's good to know how to play in different positions. And yeah, like I always say, I'm ready to play everywhere on the pitch if needed. But obviously, I have my forward positions that I know and I like to play.

3:29so now it's the manager to decide. I want to take it to you and just keep it on you now for this moment. What would you say are your three attributes, your main attributes that stand out? I would say pace. Which this team needs, which is great. Yeah, pace. I would say first touch and finishing. Goals. That's what we want, isn't it? You know, you see your goals. It's great because I've been shouting about someone with pace who in transition could be great. But also defensively, I've seen you're in the top 4 % forwards in terms of tackles and interceptions and stuff. Do you put a lot into that as well?

4:09Yeah, I think it's really important to… Both sides of the game. Both sides, yeah. Because you win. No, no, of course you win. But you attack and you defend as a team. and I think if just one of us doesn't defend, I think he can make space for the opponent, then they can get through. So I think it's really important to defend well as a team and of course it's easier to pick up good balls as well. In terms of your position, where do you like to operate most and where would you say you're most effective in the team? So, yeah, lately, of course, I was played as a white winger. I can as well play as number 10 with another striker or even with our system now in the pocket as a 10.

5:01So, yeah, as I said, in football, you can play different roles now and obviously that's what I'm trying to do. In that right wing position, it's changed a lot over the years. I think the likes of Son, Salah, Saka now more recently and others have really kind of got that position into where there's a lot of goals now, a lot of assists. Who's been a big influence for you in that position in moulding yourself from that right wing position? I would say, yeah, Ronaldo and Messi, obviously, because they were playing on the wing. and then, yeah, there was always scoring so many goals every season. So, yeah, as a, yeah, as a, as a, as a, as a former winger, yeah, I was inspiring myself from them to always try to be in good positions to score or doing assists and yeah.

6:01Is that something you look at? I mean, because when I played, I always, there were other centre backs I'd look at it and I'd go, okay, I need to be as good as, better than these guys. And you mark yourself against people. Are you doing that from that position with the likes of the sellers or whoever it may be in this world? Yeah, of course. Yeah. For me, I'm a big competitor and I'll live on to win. Yeah. And so, yeah, I always set, I don't set limits on myself on where I can, where I can reach. and obviously, yeah, I always want to be the best and yeah, that's what I'm going to try to do. And it's crazy because I was looking at your age and I'm not comparing you to Salah at all, but I see a lot of similarities in the way you play and at this age, this was when Salah joined Liverpool.

6:52So there's so much in terms of that can be done for you improvement-wise and output, but also it takes me to the point in having to look after yourself to be able to be available all the time and play in longevity. Salah is one of those, Cristiano and the like. And I know a few people that we know, similar people, who have told me that behind the scenes you are crazy about off the pitch stuff and your physique and your body and nutrition, etc. How important is that for you? Yeah, I think now it's really important because, yeah, in football we always think about the pitch and people always see the pitch.

7:28so I think it's a mentality to have to always want to be the best part of yourself and yeah for me I think it's really important for me to get more work on myself even out of the pitch so maybe gym stuff yeah what are you doing what are you doing off the pitch to help yourself it's just like gym sessions but like sharp one is not like very loads because obviously you you need to to to be ready for the pitch as well so so you're a coach you have your own coach yeah i have a coach so and yeah it's more basically uh doing like um like a sprint stuff so to to to win with a with more more space more pace sorry and um and yeah i have a i have a chef as well so who is uh we're straight linked with the nutritionist of the club.

8:28And yeah, I think even this is really important because for the recovery and even, yeah, it's always good to eat the empty food as well. So are all players doing this or is this just how you gain an edge on your opponents?

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9:38We spoke to Michael Carrick, one of the former May United players, a little while ago on the pod, and he was talking about systems. And we had another ex-player, Ryan Giggs, who played left wing. And I was talking to him about what it means, what do you need to be a May United player? and he said risk, you've got to take risks. As a striker, yeah, you have to take risks because if you don't, you can't really achieve what you want and I think it's really important. Do you have a clear idea? Because I remember when I signed for United, I don't think I had a clear idea of how I'm going to play. I just thought I'm going to try and fit into this team and the squad.

10:20How do you approach this? Are you going, I'm going to play like this, this is how I'm going to play or is it more a balance of what the team and the manager wants and then I'm going to give them my little spice as well? Yeah, of course I think it's a little bit of everything. Obviously, the coach has his ideas. Then after, it's the players who are doing the show, as I said. So, yeah, I'm someone who likes to be structured, know what to do with the manager. but obviously in my position in the last third year, you have to do your own bits and be creative. How important is that, having that freedom to do that from the manager for you?

11:01Yeah, I think it's really important for me because, as I said, I like creativity. So yeah, I like to move on the pitch, not staying in one position. But obviously you have to respect some formals and some principles. and then after, yeah, it's just you and your football. Just talking about teammates, who are you looking forward to playing with as a forward who wants to score goals? Who are you sitting there going, oh, he can help me? Of course, Bruno. Yeah, of course. Yeah. Everyone since the past years, he has really good foot. he can shoot, he can cross, he can do crazy balls. For a striker, you just enjoy that.

11:53With someone like him, when you're coming into the club, are you thinking, I need to speak to him? I need to tell him what I need, how I like the ball, etc. Is that the type of conversation you're going to be having with someone like him or is it just you'll feel it on the training pitch? I think it's a little bit of everything. As I said, you earn experience from everyone, So it's always good to speak to someone like this. But at the end, I think on the pitch, like when you're smart like he is, I think you don't even need to think a lot. You just need to make the run and he's going to play you in the right space every time.

12:27So but of course, you can have like a little discussion to to to make him know like how I prefer the balls and how I feel the best to have the ball. but at a certain point there is only one way, even if it's not the one you like. You have to do the run and it's going to put the ball in a good way. Is that something you've done in the past where you're talking to teammates like you, as if Ivan Toni, Wissar, these guys? Because you form good relationships with these guys. Was it just natural or was it talking? So, yeah, it was a bit of both because obviously we had a really good relationship outside the pitch.

13:07So I think this is one of the most important because when you have a good relationship with someone, it's always easier on the pitch. And yeah, I think it's really important as well to have discussions. Even maybe if you have a bad game or something, then you explain why to your teammate. And maybe if he could have done something better. and at the end you create automatism with them. It just gets easier on the pitch. You seem like a really driven guy. I know you're professional and you're very diligent. Do you put demands on yourself and set yourself targets? And if so, what are those targets you've set yourself coming into Manchester United?

13:55I'm someone who don't put targets on myself because I don't want to put limits on what I can do, but I'm really, really demanding on myself because I know I have abilities to play well. And I think in our level, you have to be demanding a lot on you and of course on your teammates, because if you can put demanding on you and drive your people around you, I think it's really good for the team. Just talking about combinations, because I think it's really important in your position, the combinations of players like Bruno, yourself, Kunja, Ahmad etc. You were involved in another great kind of three players, yourself, Ben Rama and Oli Watkins.

14:41How did you form that partnership? Again, was that just natural instincts or was there a lot of conversation? Yeah, I think it was like, yes, of course, at the start for me it was hard because I wasn't speaking really well English. Yeah, so yeah, I clicked straight away with the side, which was speaking French. And then, yeah, obviously he's a great player. And we had Holly, which I get to know with the time because, yeah, I think it's really important as well to have a really good relationship of the pitch with your teammates. So yeah, and after, when my English get better, I could have a good chat with him.

15:28What was good about his game that was good for you? I presume he's running in behind all the time, which opens space for the likes of yourself. Yeah, of course. I think he's really complete. Complete, yeah. He's a complete striker. He can do a lot of things. He can drop with a set or go in behind. and I think this is really good for me or for Wingo because you can use his space to fit in there and he can combine as well. So I think it's really good. Just talking about that, because I've always said this about my United, players running in behind helps other players and creates a lot of space. What does it do for you from your position when you've got a striker that's able to run that way?

16:14Yeah, I think you can make assists because if he runs out the good timing and there is space, you can be on the last pass. And obviously you can use his run to do another run in behind, which you might get the ball and score. So I think it's really important to have a lot of movement in front. Listen, before we go, I just want to touch on Africa and Cameroon. And I know, listen, when I've been to Africa, it's crazy, man. They love football there. And the vibes are great there. What does it mean for you as a Cameroonian person to come to a club like Manchester United? And give us an insight into what it's like back home.

17:03Yeah, I'm just really proud because I think Man United have fans everywhere. And it's really big around the world. and yeah, I think when I'm going to get back home there, yeah, it's going to be a crazy feeling. And who are the players in Africa that you looked up to when you was a kid and inspired yourself? Of course, Itou. Yeah. Waiyoto, obviously a great player. I love him. Yeah, obviously a great player. He's a striker as well. He was scoring goals and that's what wanted to do when I was young, scoring goals, trying to help the team to win and yeah, I think it was a really good inspiration.

17:47Give me a top three African players when you were growing up and who's the top three African players now? I would put Eto, Drogba and Yaya Toure. Oh, nice. And then the top three now? Top three now, Salah, Lukman. Current African player in a year? Yeah. And Hakimi. Oh, yeah. Hakimi. Wow. He's had an unreal season. He's now the best right back in the world, no? Yeah. He has to be. Yeah. I love this guy. Listen, there's a question I've got not only from myself, I'm sure every fan would probably want to ask you this question. And it's, how confident are you that your goals are going to help Manchester United to climb the table from last season?

18:38Yeah, I think when you score the 20 goals in the previous season, you have a lot of expectations.

18:50So, of course, I'm someone who likes challenges and I'm just going to try to do the same. Well, I want to wish you the best of luck, man. Thank you very much. Hey, before you go to the camera from the horse's mouth, there's a lot of people that say your name. tell us how you want your name to be said please we say Mbumo Mbumo yeah that's right it's a horse's mouth Mbumo now yeah don't get it wrong thank you good luck man thank you very much love to see you good luck you too yeah man I'm happy you come man I've been calling out I need peck please sign this shirt for me as well we're going to give it to the fans they want your shirt man they want your shirt your pace power goals yes

19:36Bumo shirt signed here right now coming to somebody out there man thank you man no problem thank you very much thank you for having me if you ever need any conversations about United or anything the area you know where I am thank you very much good luck Mono thank you take care take care

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