Matheus Cunha is one of the contracts expected to be a new brick to rebuild Man United's empire. He joined from Wolves for £62.5 million in the summer of 2025 and quickly showed integration with the new jersey. Not only responsible for scoring goals, Cunha was also assigned the task of creativity and building a playing style.
Receiving great trust from Ruben Amorim, now is the time for Cunha to prove he is capable of leading the midfield when captain Bruno Fernandes is injured. Not only should Bruno bear the responsibility, the absence of quality of play left by Mbeumo and Amad will also come to the Brazilian striker.
When moving to Old Trafford, Cunha no longer controls the ball as much as when playing for Wolves. However, it is very difficult to get the ball in the feet of this striker when he is operating in the 1/3 area of the opponent's field. Having to share responsibility with Bruno Fernandes (if any) in the near future will not affect the sharpness in the attack of the 26-year-old star.
Teammates at Man United usually just need to pass to Matheus Cunha, he will try to pull the ball about 10-15m towards the opponent's goal. The Brazilian striker often complains if his teammates pass the ball in this area and he is often right when he always places himself in quite favorable positions. After the 1-0 victory over Newcastle, Amorim himself also admitted that he did not dare to pull Cunha out because he was the only one who created a sense of peace of mind.
In the Man United squad at this time, Cunha is the one who has the best ability to keep the ball in his feet in 1/3 of the opponent's field. This is slightly different from Mbeumo when the Cameroonian striker likes immediate penetrations. If he has to shoulder the responsibility of Bruno Fernandes, Cunha will have to change a little about his movement and coordination.
Cunha's most popular passing combinations have many similarities with what he did at Wolves last season, but there has been a notable change in the way this star coordinates with center forward Benjamin Sesko. Previously, Cunha really liked to coordinate with "number 9s" because these center forwards would attract opponent defenders, thereby opening up space for Cunha to penetrate and finish. However, this is also why Sesko is hotter about the ball.
In matches without center forwards such as the 2-1 victory over Liverpool, Cunha works very effectively. He often looks for passes from long passes before participating in counter-attack situations. Man United sometimes has small gaps in the attack area right in front of the opponent's penalty area in matches, but Cunha always finds ways to take advantage of that weakness instead of being trapped.
Another noteworthy point is the quality of passes towards Cunha. Usually only Bruno Fernandes can guarantee quality, other players sometimes pass uncreatively, always putting Cunha in a double-handed situation with the opponent.
Cunha is a first-footer who is not too good, so if the pass towards this striker is not creative, it can cut off the "Red Devils"' attacking deployment. Another weakness of Cunha is that his ability to control the ball and penetrate deep-back defenses is not too good. He will be very good at counter-attacking situations, passing the ball into the opponent's defense gap before performing technical dribbling.
In terms of goals, Cunha still maintains the finishing rate as in the 2024-2025 season, but luck no longer smiles on him as before. The Brazilian striker now has to shoot further, at a distance of 17 - 25m in front of the goal. Long shot is also Cunha's forte, but precisely because he performs it too much, his scoring efficiency is below average. The 26-year-old star has only scored 3 goals in the Premier League since the beginning of the season with a G of 4.6.
This index of Cunha is also common with many other stars of the "Red Devils". The Brazilian striker is not the only United player with inaccurate shots in the 2025-2026 season. Bruno Fernandes has shot into the net 4 times since the beginning of the season, more than any other player in the Premier League. Man United has scored more than 3 goals under Amorim in 19 Premier League matches this season (33) compared to 26 matches under this coach in the 2024-2025 season.
There are positive signs for Manchester United and Cunha as they enter 2026. Amorim may be missing some of his best players, but fortunately, for Cunha, he has a striker who is not unfamiliar with difficult tasks.
