Jean-Ricner Bellegarde of Wolverhampton Wanderers is challenged by Omari Hutchinson (L) during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at Molineux on December 03, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England.placeholder image
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde of Wolverhampton Wanderers is challenged by Omari Hutchinson (L) during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at Molineux on December 03, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England. | Getty Images
Wolves host Manchester United in a Premier League clash on Monday night
Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has admitted that Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha ‘can be a problem’ for his side on Monday night if they give the Brazilian too much confidence on the ball.
The forward made the move to Old Trafford in the summer, joining on a £62.5m deal from Wolves. It has been a rotten season so far for the Molineux outfit, who have yet to win in the Premier League and have just two points after 14 games.
There are already 20 points between them and United, with Vítor Pereira sacked early last month. Rob Edwards has been named as his replacement but there has been no new manager bounce with the ex-Wolves player arriving in the dugout after leaving Championship side Middlesbrough.
Bellegarde feels that Wolves need to make things difficult for United and restrict any freedom they have to play with the ball as he pinpointed the threat of Cunha.
“Matheus Cunha is a good player and we know that if you leave him with the ball and give him more confidence then this can be a problem for the whole team,” he said.
“But for us, we need to play closer to our strikers so we can help them grow in confidence, and push our defenders to stay tight and put other teams in danger.
“We know they’re a good team, so we can’t let them play, and we need to put in a lot of energy and make things difficult for them.”
Wolves last win at home in the Premier League was way back in April when they beat Leicester City 3-0. The Foxes went on to be relegated, but they did record wins over Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in April.
Bellegarde knows things need to turn around fast - as Wolves look for their first league win of the season when United visit on Monday night. They have not scored in their last five games, losing to Fulham, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest without finding the net.
He continued: “We’re not scared. We’re footballers and there’s nothing to be scared of, or to be afraid of. We know the pressure that comes with that, and it’s normal, because the situation in the league means every match to us is crucial. But that doesn’t mean we’re afraid.
“We always want to do well and we try to do things right, but I believe we didn’t put in the intensity we needed to spark the match and bring the crowd with us and get the result we deserved. That’s why I think the coach wasn’t happy with what we produced [against Forest], because compared to what we know we’re capable of doing, there was a big difference.”
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