Cunha will occupy one of the two attacking midfield berths in the United line up next season.placeholder image
Cunha will occupy one of the two attacking midfield berths in the United line up next season. | Getty Images
Man Utd are looking to add extra firepower to their attack but would Matheus Cunha, Viktor Gyokeres and Bryan Mbeumo solve all their problems?
The theory that almost every football manager has when they need a goal in a game that they are desperate to win, is that throwing on more strikers will get the job done, with Manchester United’s summer recruitment campaign following a similar theme.
How Cunha, Mbeumo and Gyokeres would make instant Man Utd impact
The problem though lies much deeper than that though as the xG (expected goals) statistics suggest. United could only muster a total xG of around 60 whilst Liverpool’s tally was closer to 90. There are a lot of points that can be won and lost with a difference of 30 goals scored per game.
A prolific striker like Gyokeres would close the gap from the xG of 60 to the total number that was actually scored – 44, but that in itself isn’t the problem. The Swede scored 39 league goals from an xG of 33, he is a striker that does the opposite to United’s current forward line, he doesn’t just score the chances he should, he scores others too.
It isn’t just down to the strikers and front three to create chances and score goals, there needs to be a lot more from United’s midfield. Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte mustered barely 10 assists between them, Mason Mount had none and Christian Eriksen six.
Only Bruno Fernandes with 19 goals and 19 assists can hold his head high, just imagine if he left or got injured. The 30-year old deciding to stay at Old Trafford could be the signing of the summer.
The current squad has a disjointed group of midfielders with Amorim not really able to find his best combination. With the right balance, each member of the engine room should be able to concentrate on their own job.
The target, if Amorim has two number eights, should be for them to be getting close to double digits for goals and assists – each.
What would Cunha and Mbeumo bring to Man Utd’s attack?
Cunha, Mbeumo and Gyokeres, if the latter two sign, will make a difference in terms of both goals and assists, and help to not only close the gap in terms of xG, but they should also raise the bar. There is a reason why clubs use this for measurement for recruitment and to analyse performance because it is an accurate reflection over a period of time of what a team can be predicted to achieve.
Mbeumo and Cunha are not only quicker than the current players that Amorim has at his disposal, they more often than not have an end product too. Cunha can match Fernandes for scoring goals from outside the box - six last season - and Beumo is a powerful runner capable of occupying defences on his own and creating not only chances, but spaces for others.
United will be in a better position if the get deals for Beumo and Gyokeres over the line, but Amorim must fix the midfield too.
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