From the world of professional football, where the elite player’s every move is watched, analysed and dissected, to the chessboard, where your every move is watched only by your direct opponent.
Mbeumo plays a lot.
“I like piano, playing chess, video games,” he told us in his signing interview. “I’m just a normal guy.”
That is certainly the conclusion for those who have been lucky enough to spend time with him since his arrival from Brentford. Bryan is a normal guy… who’s very good at football and has signed for his dream club.
He’s loved getting to know his new team-mates at United, pulling on the red shirt and playing at Old Trafford. And when he gets home after training, he’ll often sit on the sofa, pull out his phone, and play a game of online chess.
When we had some time to spend with him, several weeks on from his signing interview, it was only right we got the chessboard out. We pulled a table into the centre of one of two new MUTV studios at the refurbished Carrington and welcomed him in. It felt a little different to his sofa at home, but the game was the same.
