What could Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo bring to Manchester United?

After their worst Premier League season on record in 2024/25, there were always going to be personnel changes at Manchester United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe allegedly putting the entire first-team squad up for sale is more of a marker to let every player know that they're not indispensable, rather than a genuine attempt to offload as many of the men's senior team in one summer as possible.

Man United must strengthen this summer

It is clear, however, that certain positions within the squad must be strengthened.

For a start, there aren't too many players with the willingness and ability to take the ball and run at the opposition with purpose.

Amad Diallo would be the most obvious example, ditto Alejandro Garnacho, albeit the Argentinian has gone off the boil of late, perhaps as a result of a loss of confidence from the manager.

Ruben Amorim would appear to have a very clear idea as to the type of player and personality he wants in the team, and to that end, 26-year-old Brazilian Matheus Cunha looks to fit the bill.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers ace positively revels in being able to drive at defenders, looking to unbalance them by either taking them on himself or drawing them in and, in so doing, being able to release a better-placed teammate in order to continue an attack.

Cunha's versatility is ideal for Amorim

As adept at hold-up play as he is in dropping deeper if required, his physical presence, experience and application are all things that Amorim has missed from his attacking players since taking over in the dugout last November.

The attached graphic denotes the amount of amount of attacking ball carries he made in the 24/25 campaign (441), which is only just short of Bruno Fernandes' 479, evidencing an importance in that area for both players. 

Matheus Cunha ball carries 2024/25Opta by StatsPerform

Fernandes and Cunha also had the most goals scored (six) from outside the area last season, too. 

Where the Brazilian becomes a vital cog in the wheel for United is with his versatility. At various stages of last season, he played as a main striker, central attacking midfielder, left winger, left midfielder and right midfielder.

Set within the same 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 system that he's used to playing at Wolves, his ability to service each area with equal aplomb gives Amorim a plethora of attacking options going forward.

Not forgetting he is also a player who scores goals, something that the Red Devils have seemingly lacked over the past season or two.

40 goal involvements over the past two seasons

Cunha's 40 goal involvements over the past two seasons speak for themselves too, and one only needs to look at how evenly spread across the pitch his 1,764 touches across last season have been to see how much ground he covers.

Matheus Cunha Premier League touches 2024/25Opta by StatsPerform

As to where Amorim sees him best, much is likely to depend on which players are retained and which are let go this summer.

With Garnacho seemingly more out than in at Old Trafford, it would be no surprise to see Cunha in a wider position to start.

Bryan Mbeumo wants move to Old Trafford

Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo would also appear to have offered himself to United, and whilst he is a completely different profile to Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, one can see why he would be a decent enough fit in a new-look front line at the Theatre of Dreams.

He isn't a forward who plays with his back to goal and holds the ball up to bring others into play, but he can do so if required.

Though he can also play out wide, it's centrally that's his bread and butter, and his pace from a standing start is deceptive.

As we've seen for some time now, too, Mbeumo's excellence lies in his ability to get in behind the last line of defence and have the strength to hold off his opposite number before finding the back of the net. 

Something he did on 20 occasions in the Premier League last season, and to put that into perspective, only Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah scored more.

His 20 goals were also more than Hojlund and Zirkzee managed in all competitions combined.

Potential rebuild is significant

What characterised Amorim's Sporting side was the speed with which they were able to break or counter-attack, and that's the one thing that his United side, to date at least, haven't had.

In general terms, they've been slow and laboured to build up their attacks, and there's no 'zip' to their play. As a result, opposition teams have easily been able to put pressure on them, forcing them to play back to their defenders and start the process of attack again.

Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim, participates in the official training at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27thAnggara/NurPhoto / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

In a new-look United, the reverse needs to happen, and it has to be the Red Devils that are setting the tempo, controlling games and making the opposition work much harder to win the ball back.

The significance of what appears to be the start of a rebuild can't be lost on anyone, either, both those who work at the club and those who support them. It simply has to work this time.

New beginnings

Not only because Amorim has staked his reputation on it, but because United are moving further and further away from the top table of domestic and European football, and pretty soon there won't be a way back.

Cunha and Mbeumo represent a changing of the guard and a new beginning, but they have to be the start of something and not the sum total of the club's ambitions.

AuthorFlashscore