One Manchester United star has been tipped to thrive for the club this season by a Ballon d’Or winner but there is one genuine concern.
Manchester United concluded their U.S. tour by lifting the Premier League Summer Series trophy, capping off a largely positive couple of weeks.
Following a goalless draw with Leeds in Sweden, United opened their U.S. campaign with a 2-1 win over West Ham and then cruised to a 4-1 victory against Bournemouth. A 2-2 draw with Everton provided a sterner test, but the Reds still finished top of the table.
For Ruben Amorim, the tour delivered plenty of encouraging performances, while also highlighting some areas that still require attention.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo’s arrivals were two of the most positive aspects, with the new signings expected to be important for the Reds.
Owen says “brilliant” Cunha will thrive for United
While both Cunha and Mbeumo are going to be key players for Amorim, Michael Owen believes that the Brazilian forward is going to be the standout signing for United.
The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner has exclusively told UtdDistrict, on behalf of AskGamblers, that Cunha’s ‘magic’ could provide the difference for United next season.
Although Owen is slightly concerned about the 26-year-old’s temperament and has explained that it will have to be managed carefully at Old Trafford.
“I think Cunha has got a little bit of magic about him. I love watching him play,” Owen told UtdDistrict. “The first moment I set eyes on him for Wolves, I just thought: “Oh wow, he’s a talented player.” I really rate him, and I don’t blame Manchester United for getting him. I think he’s so talented.
“My only question mark is his attitude. He gets sent off a lot, he waves his arms a lot, and you’ve already got someone like that alongside him in Bruno Fernandes. From a talent point of view, he’s absolutely there. And maybe being at Manchester United, being at a huge club like that, might put some manners on him.
“You can’t go around grabbing people’s glasses off them after a game, getting sent off, arguing with referees, and causing fights on numerous occasions like he did at Wolves. But when you’re the outstanding player and when you’ve been carrying the club, when all that pressure’s on you and all those different things, then you can understand it a bit. When you go to Manchester United, you’re in the public glare even more, and you need to behave that way.
“If he irons that out, I think he could be a brilliant signing and as I say, going to Manchester United might put manners on him because there are lots of big stars there, and there have been the greatest stars of all time there in the past. He’s not going to come in and feel like a one-man band like he might’ve at Wolves. So, I think it’s a brilliant signing. But that’s my only question mark.”
Cunha’s aggression is something Amorim wants
Cunha’s bite and energy might be something that causes concern for ex-players like Owen, but it is clearly something Amorim wants to bring into his squad.
As long as you channel that aggression and passion correctly, it can be crucial for the team and there have been too many players who do not play with that emotion at Old Trafford.
“We need to be a little bit more emotional in this team,” Amorim told journalists during the summer tour. “With the emotion, we become more sacrifice, more pace, more energy. We are improving on that.”
There will probably be some times where Cunha’s approach hurts his performance – just like with Fernandes – but, for the most part, it will be very useful for United to have that in their team.
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