Man Utd eyeing “one of the best players” in the PL

It’s fair to say that the 2023/24 season won’t be remembered fondly in the memory of the Manchester United faithful.

From poor results to simply embarrassing performances, Erik ten Hag’s team displayed it all during his second campaign in charge.

One aspect that certainly let them down was their lack of consistency in front of goal, netting just 57 times across the league campaign.

As a result, some attacking acquisitions in the transfer window would go down a treat.

Man United’s search for an attacker

According to a report from The Mirror, Man United are interested in signing Matheus Cunha this summer.

The Brazilian currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he’s impressed since his £44m move at the start of this season.

It’s mentioned that the club views Cunha as a player worth £60m, and United scouts have been watching the forward.

The number 12 is seen as the exact profile that the new owners are looking for, as he’s “aggressive, dynamic and ambitious.”

How Cunha compares to Marcus Rashford

After netting an incredible 30 goals across all competitions last campaign, Marcus Rashford’s performance during the 2023/24 season were underwhelming.

The problem for United’s number ten last season was a total lack of consistency, which has even caused him to drop to the bench on multiple occasions.

Ten Hag’s star player from 2022/23 only started 26 Premier League games this time around, netting seven goals and providing two assists.

But there’s no debate that when he’s full of confidence, he’s unstoppable, as proven by his output during the Dutchman’s maiden season in charge. Therefore, the prospect of signing a player who’s similar to Rashford must be an exciting thought.

As you can see by the stats above, it’s no surprise that FBref has Cunha classified as a ‘similar player’ to Rashford on their site.

Firstly, it’s clear that both Cunha and Rashford are dynamic forwards who know how to find the back of the net while also serving as a creative outlet.

This is shown by their goal output from last season, with the Brazilian even outperforming the English attacker. For further context, Cunha would have been the Red Devils’ top scorer in the Premier League with 12 goals. It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that insider Dean Jones suggested at one stage this season that he was “one of the best players” at Wolves.

Another similarity is that they can both operate as a centre forward as well as out wide, while both are most impactful when picking up the ball on the left.

However, what makes Cunha so “underrated” – as he was dubbed by football scout Jacek Kulig – and potentially even more dangerous than the 26-year-old is the fact he’s more direct on a consistent basis.

The Wolves star is also far more involved in the overall play, as shown by the number of successful dribbles, carries into the final third, and touches.

Additionally, unlike Rashford last season, Cunha has been the catalyst for the majority of the attacking success at Wolves, progressing the play, dropping deeper to get on the ball, and even working hard to help the side out defensively, which can’t always be said for Rashford, a man who gets his fair share of stick for not tracking back.

In attacking phases of play, though, there are indeed plenty of similarities between the two forwards, and the potential signing of Cunha would only improve the United attack.