Manchester United have a huge game to play this week, but that isn’t stopping progress in the transfer market ahead of the summer.
Ruben Amorim’s attention turns to the Europa League with Manchester United facing Athletic Club in the semi-finals.
Winning the final in Bilbao – the home of Athletic – would hand United a passage to the Champions League.
That would certainly boost United’s summer transfer hopes, but one deal is already being worked on.
Reports suggest that United are closing in on signing Matheus Cunha, with the Brazilian expected to arrive from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Cunha impressed United fans over the weekend, scoring in Wolves’ 3-0 win over Leicester City.
Paul Scholes on Matheus Cunha
Cunha would cost around £62.5million thanks to a release clause in his contract.
Viewed as a number 10 in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, Cunha has hit 15 goals for Wolves this season and would provide some flair to the United attack.
This appears to be an exciting move, but former United midfielder Paul Scholes has now shared his concerns.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Scholes highlighted that Amorim provides athleticism and quality in the final third.
However, Scholes is concerned for any player joining United, because the team is ‘so poor’ right now.
Scholes fears Cunha would ‘struggle’ coming into such a dismal United side, and questioned just where he will even fit in under Amorim.
“He looks like he’s got the attributes that Ruben Amorim wants,” said Scholes.
“He knows that physically, his team are just not strong or quick enough, so Matheus Cunha is obviously athletic, and he’s got quality with 15 league goals this season. I just worry for any signing coming to Manchester United at the minute. It just feels like it’s such a bad place to go. The quality of play right now is so poor.
“And with Cunha, is he a centre-forward or is he a wide player? There’s no doubt that he has quality and of course, it would be nice to sign him, but I worry about where he fits in. You can sign the best three players in the world, and I think they’ll struggle coming into this team at the minute, but they’ve got to start somewhere,” he added.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 12 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 43 | 47 | -4 | 45 |
| 13 |  WolvesWolves | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 51 | 61 | -10 | 41 |
| 14 |  Man UtdManchester United | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 39 | 47 | -8 | 39 |
| 15 |  EvertonEverton | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 34 | 41 | -7 | 38 |
| 16 |  TottenhamTottenham | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 62 | 56 | 6 | 37 |
Cunha likely to be a number 10 for United, not a striker
Cunha has been a striker in the past, as Scholes noted.
The Brazilian has become more of a number 10 for Wolves this season and has been deployed in a 3-4-2-1.
That is crucial for United, as Cunha will have some level of familiarity with Amorim’s tactical approach.
Versatility will be a factor in United’s move as Cunha could feasibly fill in as a striker if needed.
We can totally understand Scholes’ concerns about any incoming signing, especially given how many players are shining away from United.
Antony continues to impress for Real Betis, Scott McTominay can’t stop scoring for Napoli and Marcus Rashford was finding form for Aston Villa.
As Scholes says, United need to start somewhere – and a proven Premier League attacker like Cunha would be a strong first signing of the summer.
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