Manchester United praises Vivell signings

Manchester United’s transfer story has changed a bit — and that’s the actual news here. For years, the club spent huge money on players who looked exciting in theory but never really fit the team, the league, or the pressure of Old Trafford. Now there’s a clearer pattern. Christopher Vivell, the club’s director of recruitment, is getting credit for a class of signings that looks much more deliberate: Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for Premier League certainty, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens for upside and age profile. (espn.com) ### Who is Vivell, exactly? Vivell is the German recruitment executive United first brought in on an interim basis in 2024 before making him permanent. By July 2025, he was overseeing the club’s global recruitment operation, scouting structure, and emerging-talent work under director(espn.com)ecisions get made. (footballtoday.com) ### What changed in the transfer strategy? Basically, United stopped pretending every solution had to be a glamorous long-shot. The newer approach leaned into players who had already shown they could handle English football — Cunha and Mbeumo — while still taking (footballtoday.com)without giving up future value. (espn.com) ### Why are Cunha and Mbeumo so central? Because they represent the anti-chaos version of a United signing. Both arrived with real Premier League evidence behind them, not just projection. That gave United attackers who could contribute quickly, and it also made the rest of the forward line easier to build around. After years of expensive misses, that kind of certainty is worth a lot more than hype. (espn.com) ### Where do Sesko and Lammens fit? They’re the upside bets — but not reckless ones. Sesko came in as the younger forward with a bigger development curve, while Lammens arrived from Royal Antwerp for less than £20 million and has already had moments that suggest United bought more th(espn.com)aking a big save from Michael Keane. (espn.com) ### What’s the best proof this is working? One move against Everton told the whole story. Cunha hit the pass, Mbeumo carried it and squared it, and Sesko finished. United won 1-0 on February 23, 2026, and moved into fourth in the Premier League table. That sequence mattered beyond th(espn.com)h-stakes game. (espn.com) ### What has Carrick said about them? Michael Carrick’s public line has been less about resale value or squad planning and more about personality. After that Everton win, he said the newer players were “playing a huge part” and stressed their “character and personality.” That sounds simple, but United have spent years learning the hard way that talent without the right mentality can unravel fast there. (espn.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one season? Because the big question at United is never just who starts next week. It’s whether the club can finally stop wasting windows. Even with uncertainty around the managerial future, a squad built on better recruitment gives any coach a better (espn.com)ceiling. (espn.com) ### Bottom line? United are praising Vivell because this looks like a process win, not just a couple of good headlines. The catch is that one strong window doesn’t erase a decade of bad ones. But if Cunha, Mbeumo, Sesko, and Lammens are the template, United finally seem to know what kind of team they’re trying to build. (espn.com)