‘Never speaks’ - How Bryan Mbeumo conquered biggest challenge of a Man Utd transfer to become £71m bargain for the Red Devils

That is a sizeable chunk of change, but said deal has been made to look like quite the bargain. United knew what they were getting when digging deep for Mbeumo - having seen him hit the 20-goal mark for Brentford during his final season in west London.

His hard-running, creative instincts and unerring finishing ability was put to good use by Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick. The powerful 26-year-old found the target on 12 occasions through 34 appearances for the Red Devils.

He helped them to a third-place finish, meaning that Champions League football will be back on the agenda next term. That in itself, given the riches on offer in Europe’s premier club competition, could be considered enough to justify the faith and funds invested in Mbeumo.

Quizzed on whether his fellow countryman could be viewed as United’s shrewdest purchase of the last 12 months, ex-Red Devils midfielder Djemba-Djemba - speaking courtesy of World Cup Betting - told GOAL: “Bryan Mbeumo, he learned very fast and of course he was playing in the Premier League four or five years now before he left to go to Manchester United and he's a good man, good player, good person.

“He's a quiet man, he never speaks, he wants to play, wants to run for his team-mates. He did very well, he's a very, very good signing for Manchester United and I hope he will stay there longer.”

Mbeumo has looked unfazed under the brightest of Premier League spotlights, with that glare proving to be too much for some. He settled quickly in new surroundings and has been fully embraced by the most demanding of fan bases.

Asked about the toughest challenge that any player joining United faces, Djemba-Djemba - who made his own move to Manchester in 2003 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo - said: “The biggest challenge you face is… in France, Nantes was a middle team, when you came to the big team you have a big challenge, you have great players and there you need to play, you need to win now, you need to be ready, so when you come to the big team like that, you need to be focused on that.

“Today, you can have a player who is 17 and very fast he can play in the first team, very fast. Twenty years ago, it was hard to get that. You can have one, two players, like when [Wayne] Rooney came - he was like 16. It was hard to get that, but now it's very easy - you see it at 16, 17, things change, but 20 years ago, it was very difficult.

“Mentally, you need to be strong, you need to have skills, you need to be focused, so it's not too easy. But today, the environment is changing, it's not the same, so very fast you can be there - like [Marcus] Rashford a few years ago.

“When you come to the big club, you need to be focused, you need to be concentrated, you need to be aware of everything, to take your time. Mbeumo, he did it, he did it very well.”

Mbeumo is tied to a long-term contract through to 2030, meaning that he will be given the chance in which to cement his legacy in the eyes of supporters that have quickly taken him into their hearts.

With Cameroon missing out on qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the fleet-footed winger should be in peak condition once the new Premier League season gets underway - with United set to make a trip to newly-promoted Hull City on the opening weekend.