Alan Shearer does not believe Matheus Cunha will directly have an impact on the current disjointed Manchester United squad unless he’s joined by a host of other signings.
It’s certainly a bold take and one that will be majorly rebuffed by the majority of the Old Trafford faithful.
There’s no doubt that more signings are imperative for Ruben Amorim to oversee any sort of positive campaign in 2025/2026. However, building the bricks one by one with undeniably talented and Premier League-proven acquisitions, such as Cunha, is exactly how United will get to the place they want – and need – to be.
All signs are currently pointing towards the 13-capped Brazilian international becoming INEOS’ first arrival of the summer. Any deal is made more straightforward by the £62.5 million release clause included in his contract, though further negotiations over whether the fee will be paid upfront or via instalments are certain to be had.
Similarly, personal terms are not yet in place, despite the Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman setting his sights on a move to the 20-time champions – irrespective of whether they seal Champions League qualification.
There’s also a chance other clubs could ignite their pursuit of Cunha the closer we get to the window opening on June 1, with Arsenal and Aston Villa said to be among his lengthy list of admirers after holding ‘exploratory talks’.
Alan Shearer: It’ll take a lot more than Cunha to revitalise this United team
“He wouldn’t make a difference for Man United – they’re going to need another six or seven players on top of that,” Shearer told Betfair, as cited by the Mirror. “He’s just one of the players if it is going to happen, but yeah I get it and I understand it. He’ll be a welcome addition, absolutely. I don’t know what they’re going to have to pay for him. I suspect it’s quite a hefty amount. Has he got talent? Absolutely. Is he a bit of a maverick? Yeah, but you get that with most good players – they have an edge to them and a side which some people may not like.
“They need a top-class centre-forward like [Liam] Delap, but they need someone like Cunha as well. Whether they can go out and spend that much, I don’t know. I suspect that may depend on whether they get into the Champions League or not. I’ve read that there’s about a £30m release clause for Liam Delap, which means that someone is going to get a real bargain in that. It isn’t a lot of money for a centre-forward with big potential like he has.
“He’ll have tons of options, Delap will. When you look at all the clubs who need a centre-forward in the Premier League – Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool, Spurs – there’ll be huge clubs all looking at Delap. There’s no doubt, if it is that amount of money, then he will have big options.”