Why 15-goal Matheus Cunha leaves Manchester United still needing a goalscorer

Liam Williams Updated: 19 May 25 12:46

Manchester United are closing in on their first major signing of the summer transfer window, with Matheus Cunha set to arrive for £62.5m.

Cunha has had a marvellous season at Molineux and looks ready to make the step up (decide for yourself whether a move from 14th-placed Wolves to 16th place Manchester United is indeed a step up).

The 25-year-old is the eighth-highest goalscorer in the Premier League this season, and the only players ranking above him currently play for teams in the top eight, while Cunha spent much of the first half of the season fighting a relegation battle.

It’s a step in the right direction, but despite his 15 goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers this term, United aren’t signing a goalscorer.

There are so many issues with Manchester United at the moment that it’s hard to see any one signing making a significant difference, and even if they sign many of the players they’ve been linked with, the biggest improvement needs to come from the dugout.

Watching Manchester United under Amorim, you’re not left with the impression that they’re just one or two players away from something great, but signing another number 10 does give the Portuguese the option to play Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role as we’ve seen on occasion this term, which should provide the side with more creativity.

Both technically and physically, Cunha is strong. He’s more than happy to receive the ball in tight areas and can simply power his way past opponents – as Manchester United fans saw at Old Trafford a couple of seasons ago – and United desperately need more physicality to help them improve on the 15 goals they’ve conceded from set pieces this season if nothing else (only Wolves and Southampton have conceded more).

There’s also the character Cunha will bring. You need a certain personality to be able to wear the Manchester United shirt; much like that of Real Madrid, it can hang around some players like a millstone; players who’d played well elsewhere can shrink in United’s red.

It’s not just the shirt but even the number itself that can impact players, with right winger Antonio Valencia opting to revert to his number 25 shirt after an underwhelming campaign wearing the famous number 7.

It doesn’t, however, look like something that will be an issue for Cunha. The Brazilian already has that aura, that swagger, that arrogance to suggest he’ll be able to walk into Old Trafford and expect his colleagues to meet his standards, rather than the other way around.

He’ll need to be kept on a tight lead, of course; the red mist descended in an FA Cup tie that saw him sent off for violent conduct, and his unsavoury social media posts have accelerated his departure from Molineux, but in terms of character, Cunha looks like the sort of player United need.

With all that in Cunha’s favour, what is wrong with signing a Premier League-proven goalscorer for £62.5m?

Well for starters, a good goalscoring season doesn’t necessarily mean a player is a good goalscorer, and frankly it’s hard to see Cunha repeating his exploits from this term.

He scored 12 goals from 9.5 xG last season playing in a more advanced role, but he’s significantly overperformed this season with 15 goals from 8.0 xG and doesn’t often take up ideal shooting locations.

Perhaps part of that is due to the role he plays at Wolves, but similar will be expected of him at Old Trafford, and United desperately need goalscorers. With Liam Delap expected to follow Cunha to United, it only adds to Amorim’s need for a goalscorer.

While Delap for £30m represents a decent value addition should he arrive, he has 12 goals from his only Premier League season, and United are at a stage where they can ill-afford to take punts on unproven centre forwards.

At least one of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee needs to leave in the summer having combined for a paltry seven goals, with the Dane looking increasingly lost as the weeks go by, and Zirkzee declaring on arrival that he wasn’t a number nine.

Cunha is a good creator, ranking 19th in the Premier League for key passes, 14th for passes into the penalty area and 11th for expected assists, but he needs someone to create for.

If United are signing Cunha to be a playmaker, capable of playing as one of Amorim’s preferred two number 10s, then it’s a step in the right direction, even if more additions are required.

But if they’re signing Cunha in the hope that he’ll repeat his 15-goal haul next season, they’ll be sorely disappointed.