THERE is always an exception to the rule.
And if the rule is ‘Always pick Dream Team players who play in Europe’ then the outstanding exception last season was Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m).
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The Cameroon winger is the latest subject of our SCOUT REPORT series and a huge person of interest as the Gameweek 1 deadline comes into view.
Mbeumo amassed a mighty 337 points in 2024/25, a total only surpassed by Bruno Fernandes (£6m) and Cole Palmer (£6m) among midfielders.
Most impressively, he averaged eight points-per-game, the outright best rate among all players in his position.
The 25-year-old scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists for Brentford last season with the vast majority of those contributions coming in the Premier League.
It’s no exaggeration to say Mbeumo was one of the absolute best players in the top flight last time around.
In fact, he was so relentless in the league that he more than compensated for his comparatively relaxed schedule.
The Bees weren’t active in Europe and got knocked out of the FA Cup by Plymouth upon entry, meaning Mbeumo generally sat with his feet up in midweek while the majority of Dream Team’s other top midfielders racked up minutes in the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League.
It’s usually the case that players on the wrong side of a fixture deficit struggle to keep pace with the frontrunners but not Mbeumo.
This quality should stand him in good stead for the season ahead having joined Manchester United.
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The Red Devils will not participate in Europe for the first time since 2014/15, a factor that will hinder their Dream Team viability at times.
But Mbeumo, like fellow new recruit Matheus Cunha (£5m), has proven himself capable of jumping that hurdle.
He ranked fifth in his position for shots on target and sixth for big chances created.
Crucially, he was the only midfielder to score 20 goals, a huge boon.
MOST SELECTED MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS AHEAD OF GAMEWEEK 1:
- 19.6% Bruno Fernandes
- 14.6% Bryan Mbeumo
- 10% Matheus Cunha
- 4.6% Patrick Dorgu
- 4.4% Amad Diallo
Ruben Amorim’s side get their campaign underway against Arsenal at Old Trafford, a tricky prospect, but the rest of August looks potentially fruitful.
Gameweek 2 brings a double header of Fulham (a) and a Carabao Cup fixture while Gameweek 3 will feature a home game against newly-promoted Burnley.
Gaffers backing Mbeumo will be hopeful of a strong start.
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