Ruben Amorim preparing surprise new role for Matheus Cunha after Man Utd transfer

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United’s first major signing of the summer transfer window is through the door as Matheus Cunha has signed a five-year contract with an option for another.

With that, Ruben Amorim has kicked off his Man Utd rebuild with a profile this squad needed the most – a prolific player from midfield.

Or has he?

Matheus Cunha thrived as a No. 10 for Wolves, and he has a successful history playing as a striker, but recent reports suggest Ruben Amorim is preparing an entirely different role for him.

Matheus Cunha’s surprise role at Man Utd

When Cunha signed, it was a common assumption that he would take one of those two positions behind the striker and add goals to the team.

Then, United missed out on Liam Delap and an alternative suggestion was that Cunha can thrive playing as a striker instead.

Add to that the potential departures of Alejandro Garnacho, and Bruno Fernandes, and the confirmed exit of Christian Eriksen, so the No. 10 position makes the most sense.

However, a recent report by The Times indicates that Amorim also views Cunha as a potential option to play defensive midfielder.

While Amorim does consider Cunha’s primary position as a No. 10, his secondary position being defensive midfielder speaks volumes about what Amorim thinks of the team.

What Cunha’s new role means for Man Utd

The striker issue has haunted United all season so the natural reaction has been that the club needs to buy a new one, but Amorim is looking at it systematically.

Maybe he feels that if some ball progression from deeper areas is added to the team, then the attacking metrics will trend upwards naturally as a result.

In steps Cunha, one of the most fearsome dribblers of the ball, whose skillset can be used to escape teams pressing high.

That is where United struggled throughout the season as teams won the ball back as they tried to build from the back, conceding needless goals.

Cunha can be used like Fernandes was at times – stationed deeper to help with the buildup but arriving late into the box to add a scoring threat as well.

One thing is clear, United’s attacking hierarchy is about to take a turn for the better with their avenues for scoring increasing due to Cunha’s presence.