The past few weeks haven’t been kind to Ruben Amorim, and the one signing he had without any asterisks – Matheus Cunha – is starting to follow a path set by Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko.
It is easy to look at this Man Utd squad now and come to the conclusion that the foundations were laid by Ruben Amorim.
That might be true in terms of resetting the dressing room culture, but the credit for the recruitment absolutely can’t go to him unilaterally.
Matheus Cunha has just become a MUST START under Michael Carrick… Agree?
Cunha is cooking under Carrick!
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If anything, recruitment was ultimately the bone of contention that led to his sacking, so the board and Amorim clearly differed on aspects of transfers, with one exception – Matheus Cunha.
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Matheus Cunha was unlike every Ruben Amorim signing
When you look at the players signed by Man Utd under Ruben Amorim, there is a pattern that emerges.
It started with Patrick Dorgu, who played his best football after Amorim left, and ended with Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko, neither of whom was a player wanted by Amorim.
Amorim wanted Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez instead, which continued the trend of dissonance between him and the board.
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Bryan Mbeumo arrived, but Amorim’s first choice was Antoine Semenyo, who was the subject of the final friction between Amorim and the board.
The only player who had the board and Amorim come to an agreement was Matheus Cunha, whose release clause, age, and Premier League-provenness made him the perfect target.
It was reflected in Amorim’s treatment of the player as well, as Cunha played from the very first game he was available for, with Amorim praising him from day one.
He was unlike all the other signings made under his watch by the board, in the sense that he was a true “Amorim player”.
However, Cunha’s form since Amorim’s sacking has seen him follow Sesko and Lammens’ path, which adds to the embarrassment for the sacked Portuguese.
Michael Carrick is getting the best out of Cunha
A major reason why Amorim’s tenure had become untenable was that it was clear that the players hadn’t given up on him.
Ruben Amorim deserves ___ % credit for Michael Carrick’s BRILLIANT start at Man Utd
Fill in the blank. Did Amorim lay the foundation for success at Old Trafford?
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers split image
Michael Carrick and Ruben Amorim as Man Utd managers
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Instead, it was the case of a manager shackling the squad in a system that had failed over a large sample size over a year.
The likes of Sesko, Lammens, Dorgu, or Mbeumo doing well just vindicated Ineos and added to Amorim’s embarrassment, but Cunha’s case is unique.
This was a player whom Amorim wanted, had a plan for, and theoretically, knew how to use him the best.
Yet, it is after his sacking that Cunha is truly flying, and that too in a different position than the one Amorim was playing him at.
Carrick getting the best out of Dorgu, Sesko, Lammens, and more was expected, since they weren’t Amorim’s first choice to begin with.
However, Cunha doing well after Amorim’s sacking might just be the biggest embarrassment for him.
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