Why does Cunha want Man Utd move and where does he fit?

"I've made it wide that I request to instrumentality the adjacent step," Matheus Cunha told the Guardian, external successful March. "I privation to combat for titles, for large things. I person potential."

The Brazil guardant is present acceptable to instrumentality that adjacent measurement but it involves swapping 1 broadside who finished successful the Premier League's bottommost six for another, successful moving from Wolves to Manchester United successful a £62.5m transfer.

Cunha volition get astatine a nine that has gone 12 years without winning a league title, having conscionable completed a worst top-flight play since 1973-74, and wherever morale is astatine stone bottom.

So wherefore is the 26-year-old blessed to articulation a United broadside that finished a monolithic 42 points down champions Liverpool?

While Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham are each readying for adjacent season's Champions League, United are incapable to connection caller recruits immoderate European shot - fto unsocial a spot successful Europe's premier nine competition.

Indeed, it is present much than 3 years since United past played a Champions League knockout tie.

Despite a lowly league decorativeness and lack of European shot adjacent season, BBC Sport understands Cunha inactive views United arsenic a large nine - and that the subordinate does not look astatine it arsenic a risk.

Instead Cunha, who turned 26 connected Tuesday and is successful highest form, is excited by the tremendous situation of reviving United's fortunes.

There is simply a feeling the determination makes consciousness for each parties.

Cunha wants to determination to a alleged bigger club, portion Wolves get much than £60m to reinvest.

Meanwhile, Wolves person already showed they tin triumph matches without Cunha aft securing 10 points from the 4 Premier League games helium missed done suspension pursuing a red paper against Bournemouth successful the FA Cup successful March.

United, who are acceptable to let England guardant Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho to permission this summer, request to boost the options disposable to brag Ruben Amorim.

His broadside managed conscionable 44 top-flight goals successful 2024-25 - a club-record debased successful the Premier League era. Ipswich Town guardant Liam Delap, external and Brentford guardant Bryan Mbeumo person besides been linked.

Cunha has 27 goals successful 65 Premier League appearances implicit the past 2 seasons and is regarded astatine United arsenic idiosyncratic who tin marque an instant impact, portion astatine the aforesaid clip adhd acquisition to the team.

"United are fortunate they inactive person their historical entreaty and estimation arsenic a club, truthful players of the Brazilian's prime and imaginable privation to determination there," erstwhile England midfielder Fara Williams told BBC Sport.

"If helium does, determination is nary uncertainty helium improves the squad."

Creativity, question and crisp finishing - Cunha's flair and thrust person often made the quality successful choky games.

He has been the heartbeat of Wolves' attacking threat, scoring important goals, linking up play and unpicking defences with moments of idiosyncratic brilliance.

In addition, 2024-25 saw him adjacent the grounds for the astir goals scored by a Brazilian subordinate successful a Premier League play on with Roberto Firmino (2017-18) and Gabriel Martinelli (2022-23).

"Cunha has everything a United squad would want," added Williams.

"You cannot question the qualities helium possesses and the cognition helium has in-game successful presumption of wanting to bash thing to win."

Cunha spoke astir leaving down the sadness of his clip astatine Atletico Madrid aft initially joining Wolves connected indebtedness successful December 2022 earlier making the determination imperishable the pursuing summer.

He first played arsenic a fig 9 astatine Wolves but those who person watched him regularly implicit the past mates of years accidental his champion presumption is arsenic a left-sided fig 10.

His earthy inclination is to travel heavy and get the ball, and his strengths see moving astatine defenders and finishing.

His 2024-25 numbers lucifer up to those of Bruno Fernandes, arguably United's champion player.

Cunha scored six times from extracurricular the container - the aforesaid fig arsenic Fernandes managed successful each competitions. Cunha besides registered 51 attempts connected people successful each competitions - again, the aforesaid fig arsenic Fernandes managed.

He also, however, spent much of his clip connected the transportation walking than immoderate different outfield subordinate successful the Premier League this play astatine 77%.

Some sources astatine Wolves volition beryllium watching intimately however Cunha fares astatine United - immoderate astatine the nine person questioned his attitude.

Cunha lashed retired astatine Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez 3 times successful March - warring and kicking retired astatine him earlier aiming a headbutt erstwhile the Hungary full-back got backmost to his feet.

A fewer weeks earlier, helium was banned for 2 games by the Football Association aft clashing with a subordinate of Ipswich Town's unit and snatching his glasses disconnected his face.

Has Cunha's temperament discouraged clubs who volition beryllium playing successful Europe adjacent play from pursuing him?

Other clubs considered a determination for him successful January, including Arsenal who decided against it, with immoderate involvement from others successful the Premier League's apical seven, too.

However, determination were less options for the guardant this summer, with immoderate suggesting it came down to a prime betwixt United oregon a determination to a nine successful Saudi Arabia.

"There person been a mates of incidents this play astir Matheus Cunha's quality that would marque you pause," Rory Smith, shot analogous for The Observer, said successful April connected The Monday Night Club.

"Two reasonably spectacular tantrums, is tantrums the close word?

"If you are Arsenal oregon whoever and you person got 3 oregon 4 striking targets... that is going to beryllium a elephantine cross. That volition beryllium the question people with Cunha."

However, Chris Sutton, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers successful 1994-95, disagreed.

"It's not a question mark," helium said connected the aforesaid show. "It's similar saying don't motion Wayne Rooney backmost successful the day."

Williams believes Cunha's frustrations person stemmed from "being successful a relegation conflict for agelong periods and playing alongside players you are amended than".

She added: "Cunha would bring a large boost to United.

"If they were to enlistee different players alongside him, I deliberation you would spot that vexation a batch less.

"I truly similar him arsenic a subordinate and deliberation helium would beryllium a existent affirmative for Ruben Amorim."