It was almost love at first sight: Matheus Cunha and Manchester United.
Their new £62.5 million ($83.7 million) attacker took 20 minutes to settle in at Old Trafford but found his feet, his stride and a route into the hearts of United fans. Cunha did not actually create many chances in the 1–0 Premier League loss to Arsenal on Sunday but he certainly created an impression.
Cunha has an aura, and United fans crave a player with personality. The Brazilian’s a maverick, inventive, occasionally argumentative, always whole-hearted. He is just the type of player that United supporters adore: a rebel with a cause—their cause.
Nobody would dare compare Cunha with such club legends as Eric Cantona or Wayne Rooney. Cantona was such a talisman that Sir Alex Ferguson once scoured Paris on a motorbike when his favourite Frenchman went missing. Rooney was so prolific that he became the club’s top scorer with 253 goals. Both possessed the belief, the swagger even, as well as the technical qualities and physicality to pull on that famous red shirt and not be weighed down by history and expectation.
Can Cunha? The early signs are that the new signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers will certainly not feel inhibited by the pressure of representing United. His sense of self-worth will be fed by the huge, vocal United faithful idolising those who play for the shirt, play to entertain them and play to win. The Stretford End tired of the previous No.10, Marcus Rashford, as they felt he rarely delivered value for money following his improved contract in 2023.
Now they have a new darling, a potential cult hero. The obvious lesson from Sunday (apart from recruiting an elite goalkeeper) is get Cunha on the ball as the left-sided No. 10 in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system. Get him driving towards goal.
Cunha doesn’t simply control the ball. He commands it join him on a journey deep into enemy territory. Eight flourishes with his right foot took the ball away from Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Gabriel. Cunha saw the swift William Saliba coming across so got his shot away early, not enough to trouble David Raya but showing enough of his mix of finesse and force at pace to delight United fans.
His close control in tight spaces, tenacity and enhanced decision-making were all accentuated growing up playing futsal in Recife, Brazil. So was the Zidane pirouette, spiriting the ball away from Jurriën Timber, then Kai Havertz.
Out of possession, Cunha pressed Raya, chased Havertz and raced back to close down Gabriel Martinelli. He called out opponents like White he deemed were time-wasting. It was a performance that deserved more tangible reward than just applause. Cunha should have been awarded a penalty late on when fouled by Saliba.
It’s only one game. Cunha has to sustain it. He has to stay more disciplined. He was booked 18 times in 72 appearances for Wolves. Last March, he tangled with Milos Kerkez, the feisty full-back then at Bournemouth, was dismissed for a headbutt and needed restraining by teammates and security in the tunnel.
The incident gives a revealing insight into Cunha’s character and one or two similarities to Cantona and Rooney when feeling unjustly treated. Cunha asked the fourth official Rob Jones why Kerkez hadn’t also been dismissed. He was also angered by Wolves’ own security staff trying to drag him away. Cunha kept telling them to stop touching him.
Jones ordered the staff away, and talked to Cunha one on one. “He was obviously distressed about the whole incident,” Jones told the independent regulatory commission ruling on the incident. “But after I spoke with him calmly and explained the reasons for his sending off he agreed to go to his dressing room. He was never disrespectful or aggressive with me at any stage.” He just wanted an explanation. Cunha still received an additional one-game ban for “acting in an improper manner” on top of the mandatory three for violent conduct.
United have done their due diligence into Cunha’s character. They know his desire to be treated with respect, even when he has clearly erred initially. Cunha was also given a two-game ban last December for elbowing an Ipswich security officer trying to shepherd him off the pitch after a post-match melee. Again, Cunha’s behaviour involved over-reaction—he broke the security man’s glasses—followed by contrition. He paid for a new pair of glasses. United fans love an outlaw, but Amorim will beware that Cunha has a fuse that can be lit.
Maybe that edge will dissipate now Cunha has a platform that he feels befits his talent. He’s 26. He needs to embed himself in a club and deliver. Cunha’s career has been defined by slight restlessness to date, moving quickly between Sion, RB Leipzig, Hertha BSC and Atlético Madrid where he fell out with Diego Simeone and was shipped out on loan to Wolves with an obligation to buy.
Other coaches have—on occasion—questioned his lack of finish (Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig), his work-rate (Pál Dárdai at Hertha) and his body language (Vítor Pereira at Wolves). Only 15 appearances (and one goal) in four years for Brazil indicates he has not always convinced Seleção coaches. But maybe Cunha is maturing: He has played in both of Carlo Ancelotti’s games in charge. Amorim clearly rates him very highly.
Opposing players certainly respect him. “All the best for your career bro!” Jamie Vardy scribbled on his Leicester shirt he gave Cunha. “What a player.” It’s early days, Cunha has to prove himself game after game, but United fans are echoing Vardy’s view.
