Plenty had their warnings. Questions over his temperament persisted. Did Manchester United, with their chequered transfer history, really need to gamble on a forward with such meagre running stats? One who cannot be trusted to keep his head?
But Matheus Cunha has already showed, even when failing to find the net as United slumped to another home loss against Arsenal, that it is his unhinged and unpredictable temperament that he is exactly what United need right now.
In many ways it was same old United on Sunday. Amorim suffered his 15th defeat in what was his 28th Premier League game as United manager – this is the fastest a manager has reached 15 defeats in the competition, without taking charge of a newly promoted team in that period, since Paul Hart with Portsmouth in 2009.
Conceding first and being unable to muster even a suggestion of a response plagued last season’s year to forget. United have now fallen 1-0 behind in more league home games than any other ever-present side since the start of last season. Shipping goals from goalkeepers errors or corners remains a staple around these parts, too.
Cunha didn’t adhere to the well-trodden meek surrender script, however. Every time the Brazilian was on the half turn, he only had one thing in mind. Alejandro Garnacho does it on occasion, when not sulking, Amad Diallo is capable of leaving supporters gasping for air, while peak Marcus Rashford had defenders dazed and confused with regularity.
One of the many gaps in the rusting United armour under Amorim has been the lack of someone willing to take the attack to their opponents on enough occasions to make a real difference. With confidence severely lacking, defenders have all too often left Old Trafford having not been on the back foot once all match.
Cunha bucked that trend on debut. Four shots and four successful dribbles deserved a goal. Bryan Mbeumo’s intent warranted more, too. Anything but overawed fronting this new-look United forward line, Cunha’s energy and inability to go into any duel at less than full throttle is the grab-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck everyone needed, even if the result told a different story.
In contrast, Arsenal’s frontline did not muster a single attack of note all match in the glorious Old Trafford sunshine. They will take victory at a rejuvenated Manchester United, however it comes. But Mikel Arteta, having seen Manchester City and Liverpool plunder four goals each in a swashbuckling manner that few teams will be able to cope with, will head back south with major concerns.
None more so than Viktor Gyokeres. Twenty-one touches, nine passes, zero shots before being hauled off. Plenty have had worse starts, but the early signs are not great.
Cunha sprung to United’s attention at the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, as he rampaged around Old Trafford like a rockstar on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. United’s beleaguered backline had no answer to the velocity of the performance back then and senior figures never forgot what they saw.
His all-action showing against Arsenal didn’t quite reach the same decibels, but those occasions when he drove right into the heart of one of the best defences in world football ensured many in the Stretford End are beginning to identify a new cult hero.
“It is our feeling that we play better,” Amorim said. “In the end we lose the game, but I’m really proud of the effort they put in the game. We proved today that we can win any game in the Premier League, we were the better team.”
And that increased optimism was down to the performance of one man. Whether through the middle or from out wide, Cunha’s power, poise and guile are clearly what the doctor ordered.
Even in defeat, United’s performance on Sunday gave life to pre-season optimistic hopes that there is something in the works around M16. We might not see the fruits of what Amorim is trying to do for a while, but Old Trafford has not borne witness to such attacking intent, even when remaining scoreless, for some time. And that cannot be overlooked.
Any red revolution needs a figurehead. And it appears, even among a packed field of fresh-faced, expensive forwards, Cunha is right at home leading the charge.
