Ruben Amorim has identified the Brazilian playmaker as a key signing this summer, aiming to rebuild United into a trophy-contending side.
After a disappointing season that saw them finish in the bottom half of the Premier League and suffer defeat in the Europa League final against Tottenham, United have been working on securing Cunha’s transfer. ..Continue Reading
Despite interest from Arsenal and Chelsea earlier in the year, the 25-year-old is now set to join United from Wolves.
Cunha has been a standout performer for Wolves over the past three seasons, even as the team struggled in the lower half of the table and faced relegation concerns.
With the deal nearly finalized, United are preparing to trigger his release clause and complete the signing.
Reports indicate that Cunha will take the No. 10 shirt at Old Trafford, currently worn by Marcus Rashford.
Amorim approved Rashford’s loan move to Aston Villa in January and is now prepared to sell him permanently.
Villa’s decision on whether to retain Rashford remains uncertain, especially after missing out on Champions League qualification, but a return to United seems unlikely while Amorim is in charge.
Rashford has drawn interest from clubs across Europe, with Barcelona recently expressing their admiration for the forward.
Once Cunha’s transfer is finalized, United are expected to shift their focus to signing a new striker, with Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap emerging as a primary target.
Delap, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Arsenal, has a release clause in place following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship.
Cunha featured in Wolves’ final Premier League match of the season—a 1-1 draw against Brentford—where he seemed to wave goodbye to the club’s supporters.
Meanwhile, Manchester United wrapped up a disappointing campaign with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa before confirming the departure of three first-team players.
Former United star Gary Neville has voiced his support for the club’s pursuit of Cunha, praising the potential signing as a smart move for Old Trafford.
He told Sky Sports: ‘They’re desperate in that position, he would suit the system.
‘They’ve let Jadon Sancho, Antony and Marcus Rashford go, they’re playing with Garnacho at the moment but that leaves them lopsided.
‘They need someone who can beat players, someone who is equally as good at running through the middle with the ball. They need to score goals, Manchester United.’
Neville’s former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes added: ‘He looks like he’s got the attributes that Ruben Amorim wants.
‘He knows that physically, his team are just not strong or quick enough, so Matheus Cunha is obviously athletic, and he’s got quality with 15 league goals this season.
‘I just worry for any signing coming to Manchester United at the minute. It just feels like it’s such a bad place to go.
‘The quality of play right now is so poor. And with Cunha, is he a centre-forward or is he a wide player?
‘There’s no doubt that he has quality and of course, it would be nice to sign him, but I worry about where he fits in.
‘You can sign the best three players in the world, and I think they’ll struggle coming into this team at the minute, but they’ve got to start somewhere.’
