Rio Ferdinand has explained that Matheus Cunha has already dispelled one of his biggest myths that surfaced after his transfer to Manchester United.
Matheus Cunha made his competitive Manchester United debut as Rúben Amorim’s side slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League.
While the result was disappointing, United could still take encouragement from the 26-year-old’s display.
Cunha completed the full 90 minutes and recorded the most dribbles in the game (4), despite registering the fewest touches (35) of any outfield player who played the full match.
He also registered four shots, three of which were on target, had five touches inside Arsenal’s box, and successfully completed four of his six attempted dribbles.
Cunha has already dispelled his biggest myth
When United signed Cunha, one stat that was very quickly brought up was that the Brazilian spent more time walking than any other player in the league last season.
When speaking on this on his podcast, United legend Rio Ferdinand admitted it worried him ahead of the Arsenal clash. However, the way Cunha played against Arsenal immediately dispelled the myth that it showed he wasn’t a hard worker.
“Cunha, I saw a stat yesterday with one of my WhatsApp groups, someone threw in just as the game started, who questioned whether they would have even bought him because he was top of the list of Premier League players last season [for] walking time,” Ferdinand said.
“I went, oh, actually, would I want to sign a player who walks a lot? But then I watched this game, and he was actually walking past a lot of their defenders.
“He was waltzing past Ben White, I said yesterday I think tweeked a hamstring as he kept chasing him, and he is the the unpredictable one in our team now, he’s the one that when the ball goes to him you’re going okay I’m on the edge of my seat, where are you going to go now?
“Because you might go left, you might go right, you might run straight past them, I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I like what I’m seeing, that’s how I felt about Cunha yesterday.”
Cunha is the maverick United have craved
Too often last season, although not through a lack of trying, Alejandro Garnacho failed to be the creative and wide-ranging threat that Amorim desperately needed at Old Trafford.
Read More: Rio Ferdinand explains “most pleasing thing” about Bryan Mbeumo vs Arsenal, it had nothing to do with talent
However, Cunha, acting as Garnacho’s replacement amid the latter’s pending move to Chelsea, is quickly showing himself to be a forward Amorim can rely on to cause havoc and chaos across defences next campaign.
As Ferdinand alluded to, Cunha is a player who makes it incredibly hard to understand what his next movement will be, thanks to his quick feet and maverick-style of football, which gives him a unique set of skills to unlock defensive lines.
Last season, United lacked the imagination and quality to break down low blocks consistently. Despite not scoring against Arsenal, Cunha handed Old Trafford a performance that promises to bring a unique dynamic to United’s football going forward.
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