When Manchester United added Matheus Cunha, the club took a significant step toward redefining its quality and vision. Ruben Amorim's club not only added a talented attacking player capable of putting the ball in the back of the net, but opted to bring in a veteran who has proven to be successful in the Premier League.
If Manchester United is going to maximize Cunha's impact, however, then they must avoid repeating the same mistake they made with Joshua Zirkzee: Miscasting a key player in an ill-fitting role.
If United has brought Cunha in to play as a pure striker, then they're setting themselves up for failure. He's far from unable to thrive in such a role, as evidenced by the fact that he's scored 27 goals over the past two Premier League seasons.
For perspective: Bruno Fernandes led all Manchester United players during that two-season stretch with 18 goals scored in Premier League matches—nine fewer than Cunha.
In saying that, Cunha isn't the type of player who should simply be placed in front of goal and granted opportunities to score goals. Even if he excels in that capacity, his game is too well-rounded to limit him to such an isolated role.
If United hopes to bring the best out of Cunha, then it will need to utilize him as more of an attacking playmaker than a pure No. 9.
Manchester United must position Matheus Cunha to avoid Joshua Zirkzee's fate
Cunha's greatest attribute is his ability to create chances and general forward progress when given the ball in open space. He can dribble around, past, and through defenders with dizzying success, advancing deep into the attacking third with his arsenal of skills.
Once Cunha has created said opportunities, he's proven more than capable of both finding the back of the net and assisting his teammates' efforts.
In addition to scoring 27 goals between 2023-24 and 2024-25, Cunha dished out 13 assists. He ranked in the 80th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers in shot-creating actions, the 79th percentile in successful take-ons, and the 75th percentile in progressive passes.
That type of playmaking talent must be given the freedom to roam the field and create chances from any number of angles—even if Manchester United desperately needs a striker to provide goals.
Manchester United learned that lesson the hard way when it miscast Zirkzee in 2024-25. The former Bologna star was suddenly tasked with playing a style that never quite fit his skill set, and the results inevitably reflected that conundrum.
Doing the same to Cunha would not only be an example of repeating past mistakes, but would squander a potentially excellent addition.
With Cunha and Fernandes, United could have two of the best playmakers in the Premier League leading the attack from a central position. That could take hold in Amorim's 3-4-3 or even 3-4-2-1 formation, with Cunha either operating as an attacking midfielder or a less traditional No. 9.
Regardless of what formation is chosen, Cunha needs to receive the ball in space—and limiting him to playing in front of the goal would be nothing short of disastrous.