What Matheus Cunha will bring to Manchester United, breaking down the elite impact-making signing

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Manchester United have completed a deal for Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, making him the first major signing of the summer.

Manchester United agreed a 62.5 million fee with Wolves to sign Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha, with the deal now formalised between clubs.

A deal for Cunha has been in the pipeline for weeks, and the forward is set to land a lucrative wage increase with his move to Old Trafford.

United are signing one of the Premier League’s best players in 2024/25, with Gary Neville recently selecting him in his ‘team of the season’.

• READ: Who is Man Utd signing Matheus Cunha? Age, position, stats, release clause and Rio Ferdinand recommendation

Matheus Cunha capable of making major impact

Matheus Cunha was Wolves’ top goalscorer in 2024/25 and had a major impact in their Premier League survival.

Cunha scored 17 goals and provided 6 assists, 23 goal contributions across 36 appearances in all competitions.

The incoming United star will play in one of the number 10 positions behind a lead striker. His heat map from the past season shows he has a clear preference for the left side.

Cunha averages a goal or assist every 123 minutes and is the type of impact-maker Manchester United need in the final third.

Cunha scored 15 of his 17 goals in the Premier League. That’s just over a third of the 44 goals Manchester United scored in the top flight all season.

No Manchester United player even reached double figures for goals in the Premier League, led by Bruno Fernandes and Amad, with eight each. Fernandes ended up with 19 goals in total in all competitions.

• READ: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2025/26

Matheus Cunha is one of the very best

Matheus Cunha made an undeniable impact for Wolves last season, and his figures are impressive comparably across the Premier League.

Only seven players in the league scored more goals than Cunha, and FBRef data underlines some of the hidden statistics in his season.

• Cunha averaged 0.52 non-penalty goals every 90 minutes. Mohamed Salah’s rate was 0.53.
• He had 110 shots in total. Only three players in the league attempted more.
• Cunha had 44 shots on target, the third highest amount in the league.
• He averaged 1.52 shots on target every 90 minutes, more than Alexander Isak (1.34) and Salah (1.33)
• Cunha outperformed his Expected Goals tally by 6.4. This was the third best in the league.

Ruben Amorim needs goalscorers and creators and Cunha is a player who is brave enough to make things happen and ask questions of the opposition.

Cunha is a proactive player who is already adjusted to the Premier League, a known quantity who will make players around him better. This is a great way for the club’s summer window to begin, to start re-shaping Manchester United for the future.