New Manchester United signing, Bryan Mbeumo, has hailed Ademola Lookman as one of Africa’s top three footballers at the moment, placing him alongside Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi.
Mbeumo sealed a high-profile switch to United from Brentford in a deal worth an initial £65 million, with a potential £6 million in add-ons.
The 25-year-old penned a five-year deal with the Red Devils, which includes the option of an extra year.
He becomes United’s third acquisition in the ongoing transfer window, following the arrivals of Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha and Spanish left-back Diego Leon.
During a chat with United legend Rio Ferdinand, Mbeumo revealed that he drew inspiration from iconic Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o.
“Of course, I looked up to Eto’o. He’s a striker as well. He was scoring goals as well, and that was what I wanted to do when I was young, scoring goals and trying to help the team to win and I think he was a very good inspiration,” he said.
When asked to name the best African players currently active, Mbeumo did not hesitate to mention Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, PSG’s Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi, and Nigeria’s Lookman.
“For now, Salah, Lookman, and Achraf Hakimi. He’s the best right-back in the world,” Mbeumo stated.
Lookman, who was recently crowned CAF African Player of the Year, played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they narrowly lost to host nation Côte d’Ivoire.
His remarkable form continued at club level with Atalanta, guiding the Serie A side to the finals of both the Coppa Italia and UEFA Europa League.
While they narrowly lost the domestic cup to Juventus, Lookman delivered a stunning hat-trick in the 3-0 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen to claim the Europa League title.
