Wolves bid farewell to Matheus Cunha as Manchester United paid the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause.
The Old Gold ensured that they got what they wanted from the deal, with the split of the payments altered to suit the West Midlands club.
After Cunha was spotted in Manchester, United announced that they’d signed the forward, with Wolves confirming his exit in a brief post.
Though the 26-year-old will leave a sizeable void in Vitor Pereira’s squad, Wolves were pleased to see the back of Cunha so quickly into the window, with the idea of the transfer saga dragging out not desired.
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Matheus Cunha to Man United transfer
Wolves coped just fine without Cunha during the Brazil international’s suspension, but his magic will take some replacing, having contributed to 21 goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season.
As tedious as the playmaker made his transfer, Cunha will go down as one of the best forwards Wolves have seen, being a player capable of single-handedly changing the direction of a game.
Grabbing games by the scruff of the neck is one thing Man United know Cunha can do, as club icon Rio Ferdinand commented on when reacting to the transfer.
Following the announcement, Ferdinand took to his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, to predict exactly when it was that United decided to pounce on the 26-year-old.
MORE WOLVES STORIES
“I think the recruitment team at Manchester United would’ve seen, and the coaches and players here would’ve seen what he did to Man United at Old Trafford.
“He was slicing through Man United like a hot knife through butter. He looked like he had the power.”
Ferdinand was referring to the former Wolves forward’s performance against Man United in the Old Gold’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford, which wasn’t the first time that the attacker taunted his new club.
Cunha punished Man United for Wolves
Ferdinand might be right, as after Wolves’ win at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim was seen sharing a moment with Cunha at full-time.
It’s no surprise, as the Brazilian had an incredibly positive influence on the game, just as he did when Wolves beat Man United 2-0 on Boxing Day at Molineux.
Matheus Cunha vs Man United 24/25 Premier League
1 goal
1 assist
3 shots on target
2 key passes
7 successful dribbles
22 duel wins
Matheus Cunha vs Manchester United home and away in 2024/25 Premier League – Sofascore
Cunha scored from a corner in the contest and was an all-around nuisance for the Red Devils, which, in Ferdinand’s eye, paved the way to his lucrative transfer.
It will be fascinating to see how Julen Lopetegui’s signing goes on to perform at United, in what is a peculiar and testing time to join the club that finished level on points with Wolves in 2024/25.