Matheus Cunha has joined United.
Some players need an arm around their shoulder and others need to be shouted at.
The modern-day player tends to fall into the first category and Manchester United's first summer signing, Matheus Cunha, hasn't been afraid to admit that he needs to feel "affection."
Cunha reached a low point while at Atletico Madrid and he credits Wolves for breathing new life into his career. “Sometimes all we want in life is affection,” said Cunha in a fascinating interview with The Guardian in March.
"People think we have everything, but we’re human beings, too. We need a bit of understanding – we have our difficulties. Wolves gave me that joy back. The fans [have given] me a lot. The status I have today, the player I am now and the happiness I’m feeling, it’s because of them."
Ruben Amorim's man-management should get the best out of Cunha. Amorim builds personal relationships with his players and the Brazilian should respond well to his approach.
Cunha initially struggled at Wolves under the old-school Julen Lopetegui, but the appointment of Gary O'Neil helped him play with a smile again. "Gary understood me completely,” Cunha said. “He came in and said: ‘Man, I think you’re an incredible person, but you need affection.
"And I’m going to give you affection. I’m going to complain when I need to complain, but I’m almost going to be family for you'. When someone sees something in you beyond the player, it touches you. These conversations and these lessons were of great importance in my life.”
Cunha can speak Portuguese, English, Italian, French, German and Spanish fluently, which means he'll transcend the dressing room at Carrington, and he seems like a certainty to become popular among his peers.
Former teammates have spoken about Cunha being a 'joker' around the training ground. Cunha has a strong personality and ticked a lot of boxes when United completed their due diligence.
United believe Cunha is a brilliant addition on and off the pitch. He is passionate and extremely competitive, typical South American traits, and he won't need any time to adjust to the demands of the Premier League.
The transfer made infinite sense and United deserve credit for getting the deal confirmed on the opening day of the transfer window, albeit Cunha still needs his visa to be completed.
Cunha could have left Wolves in the January transfer window, but he wanted to stay and ensure they avoided relegation, which says a lot about him as a person. “I had a lot of offers but I wouldn’t feel well if I had done it,” he said.
"Some things you can’t control but I couldn’t leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone. Now, we’re close to achieving our goal [of staying up]. But I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
Cunha has just celebrated his 26th birthday and he moves to Manchester as he enters the peak of his career. He is a proven Premier League star, but there is a strong feeling that there is still more to come from him.
That is an exciting prospect considering no Brazilian player in Europe has scored more league goals than Cunha (27) since the start of last season, with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Raphinha and Rodrygo all behind him.