Man Utd news: Red Devils complete signing of maverick forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves
Manchester United have completed the £62.5 million signing of maverick forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
Cunha becomes Ruben Amorim's first signing of what promises to be a summer of change at Old Trafford as the Red Devils look to improve on a dismal 15th-place finish in the Premier League.
The Brazilian has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at United, with an option for another year included.
Sports News Blitz writer Michael Davey takes a look at Cunha’s career so far and considers his place in Amorim’s system.
Cunha’s career so far
After playing youth football for Coritiba in his native Brazil, Cunha joined Swiss club FC Sion at the age of 18.
Subsequent spells in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin caught the eye of Spanish giants Atlético Madrid, who signed the promising youngster for a hefty €30 million in 2021.
A middling 18-month spell in the Spanish capital then saw the Brazilian depart for Wolves in 2023, initially on loan.
Cunha has since flourished in the West Midlands, scoring 29 goals in 89 appearances, including 17 last season as Wolves survived the drop to finish in 16th place.
On the international stage, Cunha has one goal in 13 appearances for Brazil and also won gold with the under-23 side at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
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Style of play
Cunha is, by all accounts, a maverick.
In an age when footballers are seemingly coached into robots at the expense of their natural flair – see Jack Grealish under Pep Guardiola at Man City – the new United signing is refreshingly off-the-cuff as a player.
Despite operating nominally in a wide role, he often goes where he pleases on the pitch and, while his ideas don't always come off, it is thrilling to watch.
As a result, Cunha is potentially a perfect signing for Amorim, with the Portuguese tactician known to favour a 3-4-3 system.
Indeed, Amorim has spent the last seven months trying to change United’s playing style to no avail, and Cunha could be the long-awaited answer to those struggles.
Although questions remain regarding the 26-year-old’s temperament, he is a ball-carrier who combines the physicality of a target man with the skill of a winger – and that is exactly what Amorim needs.
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Former Red Devil reacts to the deal
United legend Gary Neville has lauded the deal, seeing it as an important step to finally implementing Amorim’s system at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United are desperate in that position,” the former defender told Sky Sports. “You think of what Manchester United are playing now – they've let Jadon Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, and Antony go, so three players who are natural players who travel with the ball.
“They're playing with [Alejandro] Garnacho at the moment, but then they're lopsided. On the other side, sometimes it's [Joshua] Zirkzee when he was fit, or they've got Bruno Fernandes stepping up in moments.
“Mason Mount's come in there but they need someone who can beat players, someone who's equally as good running through the middle with the ball and travelling with the ball, and go out wide and support the wing-back.
“Cunha's the type of player that suits this system that Ruben Amorim wants to play.
“They've lost three players who play in that type of position so they need to fulfil that; they'll need to fill those roles definitely or else they're going to struggle.
“They need to score goals. Ruben Amorim said at the weekend that they're just struggling to score goals, so you need players who can take risks, good in the final third, and Cunha's got a lot of ability.”
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