Manchester United announced the signing of Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford on 22nd July.
United signed Mbeumo from the London side for £65M + £6M (£71M) after being in negotiations for close to two months.
Mbeumo, this summer, had sounded out all other interested suitors, including Newcastle, that Manchester United was the only club for which he would sign.
After finally securing his dream move after months of negotiation, the former Brentford man stated,
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.
Mbeumo, who is a boyhood United fan, will wear the No. 19 jersey for the new season.
Mbeumo scored 20 goals and registered 8 assists in the Premier League, his best tally to date, which made him a wanted man in the transfer window, with the likes of Newcastle, Arsenal, and Spurs all being interested in his services.
But it was Mbeumo’s genuine interest and commitment to join the Red Devils that fended off interest from other clubs and allowed United to agree on a fee with Brentford.
After his announcement, the new United recruit soon joined his teammates at Carrington, United’s training ground, to gel in with his new comrades and get his first training session.
It was here when things started to take a hilarious turn.
Fans across X began to notice one peculiar feature in Mbeumo’s training pictures and videos posted by Manchester United’s official social media accounts.
This was the former Brentford man’s bum shape.
Fans further compared the build of his backside to former Chelsea and Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard, who also had a similar archetype.
He's got the EdenHazard gene
— ☈ッ (@TheFergusonWay) July 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/wpMGZqYel5
Some fans even argued that the build of his backside helps the Cameroonian winger to achieve that low center of gravity, which in turn helps him dribble past defenders and be agile with ease.
Similar to a certain Eden Hazard.
Mbeumo’s got that Hazard gravity: low, dense, untouchable unless he hands it to you.
— Savanti (@realsavanti) July 24, 2025
His backside? Like a freight train in reverse. You don’t move him, he moves you.
Add to that his gift of doing the right thing on instinct, no overthinking, just pure feel…Mamma mia…
The new Manchester United No. 19 would love these comparisons, as he himself has been a big fan of the Belgian winger since his childhood.
On the Obione podcast, which is hosted by Chelsea and Nigerian legend John Obi Mikel, upon being asked who his idol was while growing up, Mbeumo stated,
My idol growing up? Eden Hazard. He was everything… I wanted to be like him.
Further on Sky Sports Saturday Social’s ‘Best Friend Test’ interview with ex-teammate Yoane Wissa, when the pair were asked to vote for the best winger in Premier League history, Mbeumo argued for the case of Hazard.
He stated,
Hazard is the best winger in Prem history; he could just change a game, dribbling and finishing as well. He was too good.
Additionally, on his signing day, he was asked in the official United interview who the players were that he looked up to when he was a kid in terms of playing style, and the winger mentioned Hazard yet again.
He stated,
It changed with time. When I was young, we had these two best footballers in the world, Messi and Ronaldo, so obviously I was watching them. And then later, when I was growing up, it was Neymar and then Eden Hazard.
Eden Hazard scored a whopping 110 goals and delivered 89 assists when he represented Chelsea from 2012/13 to 2018/19 in the Premier League.
The Belgian won the Premier League (2x), Europa League (2x), FA Cup, and the League Cup during his time in England with Chelsea.
The winger gave Premier League fans many iconic moments in the league, including his last-minute equalizer against Spurs, which handed Leicester the infamous Premier League trophy in the 2015/16 season.
Other moments like that famous solo goal against Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup in the 2016/17 season also cement the Belgian’s place as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.
Now, whether Mbeumo can replicate that same level of quality is another topic.
Fans are, however, hoping that with his low center of gravity and backside, similar to Hazard, he can start replicating that same aura and dribbling.
At least United fans are certainly hoping that, after the club languished its way to finish 15th last season under manager Ruben Amorim.
Mbeumo will be in action in Manchester United’s 2nd pre-season game against West Ham United on the 27th of July at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
And let’s just say all eyes will be on Mbeumo one way or the other.
