Mbeumo has looked unfazed under the brightest of Premier League spotlightswith 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.”
