Gary Neville believes Arsenal and Chelsea missed a major opportunity by not moving for Bryan Mbeumo last summer, insisting the Manchester United forward would have been an ideal fit for either club.

United spent close to £200 million during the transfer window, bringing in Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Šeško and Senne Lammens. Of those arrivals, Mbeumo has arguably made the biggest impact, scoring 10 goals so far this season following his £65 million switch from Brentford.

Neville has been particularly impressed with the Cameroon international, describing him as a “good and solid signing.” The winger has looked especially sharp under caretaker boss Michael Carrick, netting three goals in his last five appearances.

Although United beat Tottenham to Mbeumo’s signature, Neville feels Arsenal and Chelsea should also have been in the race.

Arsenal strengthened their attack with the signings of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke, while Chelsea continued their heavy investment by bringing in João Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Neville said: “If you look at it now, Mbeumo would probably have been better for Chelsea and Arsenal than the players they got.

“I think João Pedro has done quite well, but Mbeumo… I mean, he would have been a sensation for Arsenal, wouldn’t he?

“He’s a good signing for Manchester United, a really solid signing. I like him a lot.”

Arsenal legend Ian Wright agreed with Neville’s assessment and admitted he was “gutted” that Mbeumo did not end up at the Emirates.

“He always looks dangerous,” Wright said. “When you see how he plays, absolutely [he would have strengthened Arsenal].

“It’s the same with Semenyo — you watch him and think, ‘I could see him at Arsenal.’ I could see Mbeumo at Arsenal as well. Gutted.”

Mbeumo underlined his importance again on Tuesday night, providing the assist for Šeško’s injury-time equaliser against West Ham as United maintained their unbeaten run under Carrick.

It was former manager Ruben Amorim who oversaw Mbeumo’s arrival at Old Trafford, but the Portuguese coach was dismissed last month following a disappointing 14-month spell in charge.

Arsenal have been dealt another injury setback, with Kai Havertz set for a spell on the sidelines due to a muscular problem.

The German forward missed much of last season through injury but only recently returned, featuring in Arsenal’s last four matches. He made an immediate impact, registering two goals and two assists, underlining his importance to Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arteta has consistently highlighted Havertz’s value to the team, and his strong form reignited calls for the Germany international to lead the line ahead of £64 million summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. However, according to The Athletic, Havertz has now suffered a fresh muscular injury that will rule him out of next weekend’s north London derby against Tottenham, as well as Arsenal’s next two fixtures.

The Gunners, who sit three points clear at the top of the Premier League following Manchester City’s win over Fulham, face Brentford on Thursday before taking on League One side Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup. A league clash with Wolves follows next Wednesday, but Havertz is also expected to miss the trip to Tottenham on February 22.

Arseblog News report that Havertz could be sidelined for around a month, potentially ruling him out of key fixtures against Brighton and Chelsea in early March. While Havertz suffered a serious hamstring tear at this stage last year that required surgery, this latest issue is not believed to be as severe.

Nevertheless, it represents another blow for Arteta, who is already without Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino.

Speaking about Havertz’s return last month, Arteta said: “The team knows how important Kai is for us and how he can help the team to be much better and take the team to another level.

“Let’s bring him on board and make sure we use him in the right way because he is going to be really important for us in the second part of the season.”

Former England striker Emile Heskey had recently backed Havertz to become Arsenal’s main attacking focal point.

“I love watching Kai Havertz play and he should be Mikel Arteta’s main man up front,” Heskey told aGamble.

“Even when he was being heavily criticised, I watched his movements closely and while they were subtle, they were always deliberate.

“He creates space not only for himself, but others, which shows he’s selfless and considers what might be best for the team rather than just him as an individual — which is very easy to do as a forward.

“Havertz is also returning to this Arsenal side at the right time. Mikel Arteta needs all the players he can get because, being in four competitions, he’ll need squad depth and reliable forwards.

“We’re coming towards the business end of the season and, given his experience, Arsenal will need players like Havertz in the dressing room and on the pitch to produce performances worthy of winning trophies.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham will head into the derby with a new manager after sacking Thomas Frank on Wednesday. Arsenal’s immediate focus, however, is Brentford — who have won seven of their last ten matches to climb to seventh in the table, just six points outside the top four.

Inter Miami have confirmed that captain and star forward Lionel Messi is still struggling with injury.

The Argentine missed training on Wednesday, prompting the club to provide an update on his condition.

“His gradual return to training will depend on his clinical and functional progress in the coming days,” the club said in an official statement.

Messi is currently dealing with a left hamstring muscle strain, an issue he sustained a week ago.

As it stands, there is no confirmed timeline for his return, leaving fans waiting anxiously for further updates on the Argentine legend’s recovery.