According to European football expert Kevin Hatchard, Manchester United like the idea of signing Atletico Madrid striker Matheus Cunha.
Hatchard has revealed that the Red Devils have a genuine interest in the potential signing of the Brazilian, who has impressed during his spell at Atletico and has shown himself to be a versatile player who he describes as a ‘mini-Neymar’ that manager Erik ten Hag would like.
However, the presenter has his doubts over such a deal, insisting United’s ‘scattergun’ approach is a little baffling.
Hatchard told TalkSport: “I’m told the interest is certainly genuine, but how far along we are remains to be seen. But in terms of him as a player, what I can tell you is that he’s certainly talented, he’s a very skilful player. He’s almost like a kind of mini-Neymar, if you like – not in stature, but I think he really looks up to Neymar and I think there have been elements of Neymar’s game that he’s copying to some extent.
“If United were to get him, I’m really intrigued about what they want to do with him, because even though he’s played centre-forward for Atletico, he’s never been a regular goalscorer at centre-forward. He will work hard without the ball, so that’s an improvement on what United already have. He certainly will press, so that’s important.
“You can play him on the left cutting in on his right-hand side, which is something that I think Erik ten Hag would be interested in. So he’s versatile, but I say, it still feels a bit scattergun to me. How have we got from [Marko] Arnautovic, who’s a big strong guy, to Cunha, who is 6ft, but he’s much more willowy, a much more floaty kind of player, more of a support striker. I don’t really understand what the plan is, here.”
TIF Thoughts on Cunha to United…
While Cunha has not shown himself to be prolific in front of goal – only hitting double digits in the league once in his short career – he has shown himself to be a great support striker, as he bagged seven goals and six assists in all competitions for Atletico Madrid last season, while finding time on the wings as well as a central striker.
He has also proved to be one of the best in Europe when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, as over the last 365 days, the Brazilian starlet has ranked in the 99th percentile for tackles, 95th for pressures, and in the 93rd for interceptions, as well as in the 91st for non-penalty goals (as per FBref).
With Cunha reportedly expected to cost around £42m to bring his services to the Premier League, the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo making his way out of the club means that United desperately need a new striker, which could negatively affect them in their negotiations. We will have to wait and see what unfolds over the next few weeks and whether Ten Hag can get the right man in.
Should United go for Cunha?Yes
No
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