“For Liverpool to return to the extent of us and Manchester Metropolis was clearly going to require large funding. Anfield has not moved on. Even the dressing rooms are the identical as 20 years in the past. My studying of their squad was that they wanted eight gamers to return as much as title-winning normal.” As Manchester United now chase the switch of Atletico Madrid’s Matheus Cunha, Sir Alex Ferguson’s phrases completely match the state of affairs at Outdated Trafford.
In case you change Liverpool with Manchester United and Anfield with Outdated Trafford in Ferguson’s assertion, it completely describes the state of affairs of Erik Ten Hag’s males within the league. Two insipid performances within the league and a disastrous switch window have solely seen Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, and Christian Eriksen arrive on the membership.
Whereas the defence has been the weakest hyperlink, the midfield and assault will not be nice both. With Mason Greenwood out of the image, the membership’s attacking choices are sorely missing. And whereas a deal for Frenkie de Jong is the precedence, Matheus Cunha is an astute signing who might make United higher. Though United want greater than him to enhance their squad, getting Cunha is a step in the proper course.
Matheus Cunha enjoying fashion
Final season, Atletico Madrid did not defend their La Liga title as a rampant Actual Madrid facet conquered all of it. Nonetheless, Matheus Cunha was a revelation for the Los Colchoneros. Diego Simeone had signed him after two profitable seasons at Hertha Berlin, the place he scored 12 targets and supplied 4 assists.
And Matheus Cunha was definitely worth the €26 million that Atletico spent on him. So, what sort of participant is Cunha? He can finest be described as a ‘defensive ahead’ like Roberto Firmino. Firmino and Cunha have performed at Hertha Berlin, though at completely different instances.
Manchester United had direct talks with Matheus Cunha’s brokers as with many others in the previous few days. No settlement reached with Atletico Madrid as issues stand. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Atletico need greater than €50m to promote Cunha this summer time. pic.twitter.com/CxPPyPH3Ma
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2022
Cunha is a cross between a centre-forward and attacking midfielder and is equally concerned in scoring targets and creating them. His robust bodily attributes additionally make him very onerous to dispossess, which makes him a menace for defenders. It additionally helps him protect the ball, permitting him to maneuver the play ahead.
When Atletico misplaced the ball, Cunha instantly grew to become a no-nonsense defender, tackling, pressurising, intercepting, and blocking to win the ball again as rapidly as attainable. If doubts persist about Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Man Utd as a result of his lack of labor charge, Cunha is on the excessive reverse finish of the spectrum. He’s good for implementing ten Hag’s model of the gegenpress.
He’s equally good at creating probabilities for his workforce. Whereas he was solely used in its place, Cunha had mind-boggling stats within the assault.
Cunha’s success is right down to his excellence in a number of areas. The Brazilian can also be a grasp of arriving late within the field unmarked to attain the objective. Regardless of being a ahead, Cunha retains his run in test and tries to create openings within the defence. He’s nice at exploiting half-spaces on the pitch. And that is the place his imaginative and prescient performs a key position. Cunha is a grasp at making runs on the good time to create gaps in opposition which will get him in good scoring areas.
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Matheus Cunha stats
As talked about earlier, Cunha was performed as an affect sub, a job he performed to perfection. The Brazilian was concerned in 10 targets, most of which got here in its place. He scored a objective each 56 minutes final season, the most effective return of any participant in La Liga.
Regardless of enjoying restricted minutes, Cunha was the fourth-best participant in Anticipated Offensive Worth Added (xOVA). Fbref knowledge exhibits that he creates 0.15 probabilities per 90 minutes by capturing, among the many high three percentile forwards.
Nonetheless, it’s in defensive stats that present his actual high quality. Based on FBRef, he makes 2.14 tackles and wins 1.48 of them per 90 minutes, among the many high one percentile forwards. Cunha doesn’t shrink back from doing the “Soiled work”. He ranks among the many high one percentile of attackers within the defensive, center and attacking third.
56 – Atlético’s Matheus Cunha has scored for every 56 minutes performed on this LaLiga season, the most effective common for a participant this time period on this competitors. Profitability. pic.twitter.com/H2uiSeMmFC
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 4, 2021
Cunha is equally good at making use of strain. His 21.89 strain per 90 minutes ranks among the many high 5 per cent of attackers, whereas his 5.69 profitable pressures are among the many high six percentile.
At Hertha Berlin, the place he was a assured starter, Cunha confirmed how good he could possibly be. The 23-year-old made the second-most profitable dribbles within the Bundesliga. He additionally gained 75 fouls, the third-most within the league, demonstrating his attacking excellence. General, he’s the quintessential ahead who would at all times be helpful to the workforce, whether or not he scores or not.
Matheus Cunha scout report
Matheus Cunha is a hard-working ahead who’s tenacious. Nonetheless, he additionally has spectacular attacking abilities that he can use to thwart the opposition’s defence. He’s a whole ahead who has all of the attributes to succeed.
Cunha’s speciality is his skill to adapt rapidly. He might have flashy abilities, however he gained’t thoughts shifting to a different ability to get the job achieved if that doesn’t get the job. Additionally, whereas Cunha could also be an excellent objective scorer, he doesn’t shrink back from passing the ball if a teammate is in a greater scoring place. Line-breaking progressive passes is a key energy of his.
His robust bodily attributes and tempo are additionally obligatory for the Premier League. Nonetheless, one concern concerning Cunha is that he has not been featured for an prolonged interval in a league. Whereas he has been sensible as an affect sub, it’s early to inform how he fares when put as a beginning participant frequently.
Matheus Cunha was unveiled by our board, proclaiming him as our ‘future’
Had higher stats than Griezmann & Correa, regardless of enjoying a lot much less
Spent the summer time in Brazil with Costa
In any case these, some individuals assume that Cunha would depart Atleti & be part of ManUtd?!
Cunha stays❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/cRSSAVZQ23
— (@PrabhakaranSays) August 16, 2022
Matheus Cunha switch information
After only one season, Matheus Cunha is on the radar of Manchester United, who’re desperately trying to improve their workforce, particularly after shedding their opening two matches within the Premier League. The membership are at the moment in a multitude. Their recreation in opposition to Brentford was particularly humiliating for Ten Hag as they conceded 4 targets inside 35 minutes to go right down to twentieth within the desk.
Whereas Cunha is an excellent participant, he can’t flip issues round alone at United. He’s a participant that may swimsuit Ten Hag’s ways, however he’s not but on a stage the place he could possibly be trusted as a starter for United.
The workforce would want a load of gamers who match Ten Hag’s ideology earlier than he might begin moulding them right into a high power. However with a number of gamers rejecting the possibility to hitch them, the most effective guess for Ten Hag is to take younger proficient gamers and switch them into world-class operators, and Matheus Cunha could possibly be simply that participant.
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