Rio Ferdinand now believes that one “dynamic” Manchester United star under Ruben Amorim will expose the shortcomings of two first-team players at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim is now looking ahead to the pre-season campaign in July and the summer transfer window ahead of the 2025-26 season at the Premier League club.
The 40-year-old United manager is in need of a major first-team squad rebuild after the Red Devils’ woeful 2024-25 Premier League season at Old Trafford.
Amorim left Sporting CP in 2024 and took charge of the Premier League club during the last campaign after Erik ten Hag was sacked as United manager last October.
Erik ten Hag endured a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season and the Red Devils wasted no time bringing former Sporting CP manager Amorim to the club.
Amorim has overseen the Red Devils’ post-season tour in Asia in the final week of May and United defeated the Hong Kong national team 3-1 last Friday.
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Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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Rio Ferdinand has a clear-cut verdict on Matheus Cunha under Ruben Amorim after Man Utd signed the player from Wolves
Manchester United landed Matheus Cunha from Wolves at the start of the summer transfer window after being heavily linked with the Premier League ace.
Ruben Amorim is a big admirer of the 26-year-old former Wolves star and United triggered the release clause of Matheus Cunha, who cost the club £62.5m.
Cunha will put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Old Trafford and the Brazilian attacker is tipped as the perfect fit for Amorim’s tactical system for United.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand highlighted that Cunha has shown his quality at being “quick” as well as being “dynamic” and “aggressive” in his style.
“The recruitment team, the coaches and the players will have seen what he did to Manchester United at Old Trafford,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“He was slicing through Manchester United like a hot knife through butter.
“He looked like he had the power and I think he fits a Ruben Amorim player profile perfectly.
“He’s quick, he’s dynamic, he’s aggressive, he’s capable of dropping deep and transitioning with the ball, he can pass and he can threaten the opponents with a goal by running deep or coming short.”
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Rio Ferdinand reveals what Matheus Cunha can offer Ruben Amorim at Man Utd compared to Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee
Matheus Cunha impressed for Wolves last season and the Brazilian forward netted 17 times and registered six assists in 36 matches across all competitions.
Amorim oversaw a difficult run of form for United and both Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund failed to impress with leading the frontline for the Red Devils.
Joshua Zirkzee only scored seven times in 49 appearances last season, while Rasmus Hojlund found the back of the net 10 times in 52 matches for United.
Ferdinand insisted that Cunha will now be able to offer more for Amorim in certain areas where both Hojlund and Zirkzee have struggled to deliver for the Red Devils.
“I think he’s the type of player that Ruben Amorim has been crying out for and with neither [Rasmus] Hojlund or [Joshua] Zirkzee at the moment looking like the answer in advanced positions, I think he has a real opportunity to play across one of those three positions quite easily, as a nine, as one of the guys off the sides,” he added.
United ended the 2024-25 campaign at Old Trafford in 15th place in the table, which was the Red Devils’ worst finish in the Premier League era.