Manchester United’s next transfer priority after Bryan Mbeumo just got obvious

Manchester United have one mission this summer: seal the Bryan Mbeumo signing and guarantee goals.

But as Andre Onana’s six‑to‑eight‑week hamstring layoff confirms, it’s now absolutely essential they sign a new goalkeeper too, and that’s a responsibility the club can’t ignore, especially with top‑five ambitions flagged across the Premier League.

Mbeumo remains priority but Onana injury raises alarm

The pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is still Manchester United’s primary agenda. His finishing, movement and consistency are exactly what Erik Ten Hag needs to solve a frontline that underperformed last season.

Yet now that transfer is even more urgent—because relying on Onana behind that attack is no longer viable. The Daily Telegraph’s Mike McGrath confirms that Onana is set to miss six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, possibly ruling him out of pre‑season and the opening month of the campaign.

Onana’s performances have already been under scrutiny

Onana’s inconsistencies have been frequently discussed in corridors of power at Old Trafford. He conceded 44 goals and made 90 saves in 34 Premier League starts, with a total of eight mistakes leading directly to goals—the highest in the league.

Opposition teams have begun targeting his positional weaknesses derived from his tendency to stay on his line rather than proactively protect the goal area. Injuries aside, those flaws reveal why United cannot settle with Onana as their undisputed No 1.

Backups and the gamble of sticking with Onana

United currently have Altay Bayındır, Tom Heaton, and youngsters like Radek Vítek as understudies, but none inspire the confidence needed at a top‑five club.

Bayındır has experience, but Heaton is at the tail‑end of his career, and Vítek remains unproven at this level. Relying on them through early-season Premier League pressure would be a risk far greater than Mbeumo’s potential price tag.

A clear signal to the board

Skipping a goalkeeper signing would undermine United’s wider ambitions and contradict statements from club leadership about competitiveness and squad balance. Even before the injury, fans and pundits believed Onana was not consistently performing as required. Now that he’s sidelined, the calculus has shifted—this is both a short‑term fix and long‑term reset.

Smart investment ahead of the season

Reports suggest United have been monitoring Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa as a glamour replacement, though valuations remain high. The key now is urgency: the manager cannot enter the season with weakened depth in net, especially if newly signed attackers do not yet find form.

What happens next

The board must prioritise a reliable goalkeeper alongside completing Mbeumo’s deal. They need to allocate funds and decisively strike before the season begins. If Bryan Mbeumo arrives but no goalkeeper replacement is signed, United will risk sacrificing stability at the back.

Pre‑season begins in days—this window to act is closing fast.