Manchester United’s summer rebuild underlines their enduring stature

They may have a manager who barely knows whether he loves or hates his players, they may have endured their worst league campaign in a generation last season, but Manchester United’s stature apparently remains undiminished in the eyes of prospective signings.

Time and again over the course of a summer rebuild costing more than £200m, United’s transfer targets have looked beyond last year’s disastrous 15th-place finish and Ruben Amorim’s struggle to implement his tactical blueprint, seeing not merely a football club but an institution.

Take Bryan Mbeumo, whose determination to secure a move to Old Trafford not only prompted him to ignore the overtures of his former manager Thomas Frank, who wanted the Cameroon international to join him at Tottenham, but also obliged Bretford to accept a lower fee for the striker than the north London club had reportedly been willing to pay. With his wish fulfilled, the 26-year-old spelled out his motives for joining United. 

‘This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans’

“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,” said Mbeumo. “This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans, we are all really determined to challenge for the biggest trophies.”

It was a similar story when Slovenia forward Benjamin Sesko opted to join United from RB Leipzig in the face of interest from Newcastle, who not only submitted a higher bid but were also able to offer Champions League football.  “It’s just a historical club that is unbelievable,” said Sesko of his new employers.

And the theme continued this week when Senne Lammens moved to Old Trafford from Royal Antwerp on deadline day even though Aston Villa – Champions League quarter-finalists last term and again able to offer European football this season – reportedly offered more for the goalkeeper’s services. Like Mbeumo, Lammens made it plain that United’s heritage played a major role in his choice of destination.

‘It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world’

“When I was five, United was at the height of football and you keep in your memory how big Manchester United is,” said the 23-year-old. “So when I heard they were interested, it was like a childhood dream. 

“I want to grow with the team and go up to the heights that used to be Manchester United. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the Premier League is the biggest competition in the world. 

“In my team in Antwerp, there were some players who were also in England and, when I talked to them about Manchester United, you could directly see their face change. The club alone, the aura of the club, it’s massive.”

Of course, the wages on offer at Old Trafford are likely to be equally massive, and it is hardly novel to hear a player wax lyrical about his boyhood enthusiasm for a new club. 

Even so, United’s ability to attract in-demand players – even with the club at its lowest ebb in decades, the latest evidence of which came in the form of a humbling League Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town – is testament to its enduring cachet.