Matheus Cunha is now officially living the dream of being a Manchester United player after his unveiling at Old Trafford and the focus now turns to producing on the pitch.
In many ways, Matheus Cunha is a classic Sir Alex Ferguson signing of a proven player from a Premier League team that strengthens Man Utd and weakens the competition.
Cunha’s impact on Wolves can’t be overstated, and the goals he scored in the league alone last season would have made him United’s top-scorer.
Ruben Amorim desperately needs the Brazilian to repeat his Wolves heroics under the brighter lights of Old Trafford, and Cunha has told the Man Utd manager just how he can do that.
Matheus Cunha of Wolverhampton Wanderers battles for possession with Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Two words to Matheus Cunha which unlocked him
Cunha might have ascended to superstar status at Wolves, but his ascent was not always guaranteed.
In fact, the move to Wolves was a step back for the player after he had failed to light up Spain with Atletico Madrid.
Cunha has had a journeyman career so far with multiple stops in Germany, one in Switzerland, Spain, and now a second stop in England at the age of just 26.
However, Cunha, in his unveiling interview at Man Utd, said Gary O’Neil, the Wolves manager before Vitor Pereira, told him two words that unlocked his best and set him on the path to stardom – ‘be free’.
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Cunha said: “At the time we changed the manager, he came in and told me, ‘Matheus, I can only say to you, be a little bit more free’. He gave me all the confidence to play well.
“It was a little bit easier because I did well last season, 14 goals. I think I did this only because he came and said to me to be free, show yourself. They were important words for me. Coming from Atletico was a little bit hard”
Ruben Amorim knows what Cunha can do
At first glance, creative freedom for attacking players has almost become an allergic thought in modern football so Cunha’s comments are a worry.
However, the Brazilian is the type of player who, instead of exploiting this freedom to slack off, flourishes and tries harder in every facet of the game.
Wilcox praised Cunha’s attributes after the signing with three important traits – strong, dynamic, and entertaining, which sums up Cunha pretty well.
Amorim knows what his new signing can do and he won’t be afraid of giving him creative freedom because, with Cunha, it doesn’t come at the cost of hard work.
If anything, a happy Cunha is a hard worker because it’s a virtuous cycle with him. A distracted version of the player can be hard to control, as he’s shown to be a bit of a maverick when things aren’t going his way.
Either way, Cunha will be a good test of Amorim’s man-management because if he gets it right, the potential return will be world-class.
If he gets it wrong, however, these comments on Cunha needing to “be free” to play well will come back to haunt everyone involved.