He's a lot like Cunha: Man Utd hopeful of signing "frightening" £50m star

Manchester United have, to put it simply, not been good enough in the Premier League this season, under the management of Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim.

The Red Devils are currently 14th in the table and level on points with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who beat them 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, despite Vitor Pereira’s side having battled relegation for most of the campaign.

United are miles off the European places, 20 points behind Manchester City in fourth, and will not be competing in Europe unless they win the Europa League.

Amorim’s side saw off Lyon in extra-time in dramatic fashion to secure a place in the semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao, with plenty of work left to be done to salvage the club’s season.

Those behind the scenes will already be looking ahead to the summer transfer window and how they can make moves to improve the squad going into next season.

One of the players who has already been linked with a move to Old Trafford played against the Reds on Sunday, as Matheus Cunha caught the eye for Wolves.

Why Manchester United want to sign Matheus Cunha

It was reported earlier this month that Manchester United are already in talks to sign the Brazil international to bolster their squad in the summer window.

Cunha started as one of the two attacking midfielders behind Jorgen Strand Larsen on Sunday, and ended the match with three of four dribbles completed, one chance created, and a 91% pass completion rate.

Being secure on the ball and completing a few dribbles is not why Manchester United may want to sign the attacker, however, as they are more likely to be interested in his ability to score and create goals.

The former Atletico Madrid forward has scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 25 starts in the Premier League so far this term, which means that he could end the campaign with 20 or more goal contributions in the division.

As you can see in the table above, Cunha has outscored every player in the United squad by at least six goals and has been compared to Bruno Fernandes, in terms of ‘big chances’ created, as a creative force.

These statistics suggest that the Brazilian dynamo is a player who has the quality to be an excellent addition to the squad, which may be why the club are keen to sign him.

However, former United scout Mick Brown recently claimed that Arsenal, another team interested in Cunha, “will have questions about his attitude now” after he hit out at Wolves supporters on social media, along with his six matches missed through suspension.

Manchester United hopeful of deal for Premier League star

The Red Devils could avoid those concerns about the Wolves star by swooping for their own version of him this summer, which is what they could do with the latest reported target.

According to The Sun, Amorim wants to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace to bolster his attacking midfield options, and is hopeful of winning the race for his services.

The report claims that Manchester United have identified the England international as a key target for the summer transfer window, as they believe that he can bring the ‘class’ that they currently lack on the pitch.

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It adds, however, that they are not the only club interested in landing the former QPR star. Aston Villa would also be in the running to snap him up if they decide against signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal.

The Sun reveals that Palace are bracing themselves for offers of around £50m this summer, and United must stump up the cash to land the Eagles star to come in as their own version of Cunha.

Why Eze would be Man Utd’s own Cunha

The 26-year-old maestro, who was dubbed “frightening” by Joel Ward, could be an excellent addition to the club’s midfield ranks without bringing any potential disciplinary problems along with him, as Eze has not been shown a single red card in 296 career club matches to date.

Purely from a footballing perspective, though, Cunha is one of the most similar players to Eze in the Men’s Big 5 Leagues, as per FBref, over the past 365 days of action.

As you can see in the chart above, both players rank very similarly in several statistics during that time, particularly when it comes to creating chances and progressing the ball into the penalty area via passes and carries.

This shows that they are both attacking midfielders who are constantly looking to probe and create for their respective teams, which could provide Amorim’s side with a boost at the top end of the pitch.

Eze has only scored three goals from 7.90 xG in the Premier League this season, but his form in the previous two campaigns – particularly 2023/24 – suggests that it should not be a huge concern for United.

As you can see in the table above, the Palace star is a proven Premier League performer who has delivered quality in front of goal as a scorer in two of the last three seasons, whilst delivering consistent quality as a creative force in all three of those campaigns.

Eze, who was called a “wizard” by England teammate Declan Rice, has the potential to provide goals and assists as an attacking midfielder in the top-flight if he can get back to his best in front of goal.

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This is why the Red Devils should push to get a deal over the line for the Eagles superstar this summer, because he could be their own version of Cunha, without the disciplinary question marks.