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News
- 10 hours ago
Matheus Cunha must be a MIRACLE to revive miserable Man Utd attack
Analysis
Matheus Cunha is on the verge of sealing a move to Man Utd.
Man Utd are close to completing a €74 million transfer for Matheus Cunha early into the transfer window.
It's good that United are going to get Cunha over the line, because not only is he a great fit with Ruben Amorim's system of play but, well, they're going to need him!
Current ETV
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
ETV Range
€56.4M - €68.9M
A post-season tour of South-East Asia saw Man Utd play a friendly (the first of two) against ASEAN All-Stars, a team made-up of players from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (aka ASEAN).
They lost 1-0.
And while they did play several youngsters, first-team talents like Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho all played at least 45 minutes.
And they lost 1-0.
This comes after they lost the Europa League final 1-0, failing to score on a Spurs defence that conceded a genuinely absurd 65 goals (losing 22 times!) in the Premier League.
Transfer Rumour
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
Manchester United
For a team as storied as Man Utd, with such a history of late goals and dramatic comebacks to be unable to find even one goal against such a pitiful Spurs defence in a European final was a sad indictment.
Worse, it came after a Premier League season in which Man Utd scored just 44 goals in the league, a total so low only the three relegated sides and the Dyche-and-Moyes-led Everton scored less.
Matheus Cunha: goalscorer
Luckily for Ruben Amorim, Matheus Cunha is good at scoring goals.
Since joining Wolves permanently in 2023 (he spent the previous season on loan, scoring twice in 20 appearances) the Brazilian has scored 31 goals in 72 appearances across all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes is the only Man Utd player who has more in the same period, scoring 34 goals in 105 appearances allcomps.
How about Rasmus Hojlund, Man Utd's striker during that same period? 26 goals in 95 appearances. Worse, just 14 of Hojlund's goals came in the Premier League, while Cunha (15) managed more than that this season alone!
STATS
Rasmus Højlund
F (C)
Man Utd
Rasmus Højlund
F (C)
Man Utd
It sounds obvious to say but you don't score if you don't shoot, and Matheus Cunha took more shots (110) than any Man Utd player in the Premier League this season.
Bruno Fernandes (93) and Alejandro Garnacho (84) were United's biggest shooters but both had horrid efficiency, getting just 28% and 34.5% of their shots on target, respectively (Cunha stuck 40% of his shots on target).
Cunha took more shots and got more of them on target to create greater pressure on Wolves' opponents. Meanwhile United's best shooters were blasting their shots into outer space, easing pressure on their opponents.
STATS
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
Matheus Cunha
F (C)
Wolverhampton
It's not just shots either.
Matheus Cunha: more than a goalscorer
Despite being Wolves' primary goal outlet, Matheus Cunha had 58 passes into the penalty area, ranking 11th in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes had a very impressive 85 (making him 4th), but after him there isn't another Man Utd player until Amad Diallo whose 35 passes into the penalty area ranks him 47th.
Bruno aside, Man Utd are just so bad at getting the ball into dangerous areas at the top-end of the pitch. This is something Cunha will undoubtedly help with.
STATS
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
Bruno Fernandes
AM, M (C)
Man Utd
And it doesn't stop there.
Matheus Cunha completed 61/137 take-ons this season, placing him 9th among all Premier League players.
Fellow Man Utd transfer target Bryan Mbeumo had 52/111 and was 12th.
The best Man Utd dribbler? Amad Diallo, who with 41/88 successful take-ons was 27th in the Premier League.
There isn't another United player in the top 60, with Bruno Fernandes' 28/67 successful take-ons being enough for 66th.
As a team Man Utd had just 252 successful take-ons, which is 19th in the Premier League. Only Crystal Palace with 208 had fewer.
STATS
Amad
F, M (R), AM (C)
Man Utd
Amad
F, M (R), AM (C)
Man Utd
United's attack is so static and lifeless without Amad, and while he is fun he's just one guy. Cunha's dribbling is sorely needed and would breathe life into the way United can attack.
Being able to dribble opponents is the best way to destabilise defences, and adding that to co-ordinated passing and pressing systems gives you an elite team.
That's what Ruben Amorim's Sporting Portugal were, and it's what Matheus Cunha will be hoping he can turn Ruben Amorim's Man Utd into as well.
It'll take something approximating a miracle for Man Utd to transform into a fully functioning football team over the summer.
Luckily for them, Matheus Cunha is one of the rare Premier League talents that is both capable of performing such a miracle and also available for transfer.
If Man Utd can get him signed, they can started on the long road to being a quality football team again.
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