Ruben Amorim’s appraisal of a key first-team Manchester United player was a telling sign of Ineos finally course-correcting their early hiccups at Old Trafford.
The 41-year-old former Manchester United manager was handpicked as the man to lead the Red Devils for the long term under the Ineos regime at the club.
However, a fractured relationship with director of football Jason Wilcox and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime ended with Ruben Amorim’s dismissal as Man Utd head coach.
Amorim might have been axed from United back in January, but the former Sporting CP manager could see the other positives that the Ineos regime had finally made.
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Ruben Amorim’s assessment of Matheus Cunha shows the Man Utd transfer foundation clicked into place for Ineos
It has now been one year since Matheus Cunha left Wolves and the 27-year-old Brazilian forward arrived at Manchester United in a stunning £62.5m transfer.
United triggered Matheus Cunha’s release clause in early June before the Red Devils completed the former Wolves ace’s move to Old Trafford only days later.
Cunha was a marquee signing for the Ruben Amorim era, with United fans even surprised by the efficiency that Ineos pulled off the major transfer in 2025.
During the 2025-26 campaign, Amorim had signalled the value of Cunha’s addition to the United first-team squad after the Brazil attacker found his footing at the club.
“Cunha is a maverick who does things that are hard to find in some players,” he told the Men in Blazers last November.
“He plays with the ball, but he has an aura that can do something to the opponent’s heads. And that is really important.”
Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko become second ever PL trio to score 10+ goals in debut season🔥
What an incredible achievement, how many goals should they each be aiming for in 2026/27?
Matheus Cunha’s transfer showed the eye-opening learning curve that Ineos had experienced and the pivotal shift in transfers
Matheus Cunha impressed in his debut season at Old Trafford, whether under former Red Devils boss Amorim or current Man Utd manager Michael Carrick.
The former RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid player’s arrival was followed by the signings of Benjamin Sesko, Senne Lammens and Bryan Mbeumo in 2025.
Cunha was representative of Ineos’ steep learning curve in charge of United after their previous mistakes under former club sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ineos had a mixed first summer window after signing the likes of Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for Erik ten Hag.
However, Ineos’ approach last summer felt more measured and Cunha’s transfer — now a year on — has shown the results paid off, even without Amorim in charge.
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