Matheus Cunha believes the combination of signing for Manchester United and playing for Brazil in the summer represents a “great personal moment”, but it is just one of the worrying confessions he has made during his international duty.
Cunha had an impressive 2024/2025 season with Wolves, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists before joining United in the summer for £62.5 million. However, he is yet to score or assist in seven games at his new home, and in the 2-0 win over Sunderland last time out, manager Ruben Amorim left him on the bench and he was replaced by Mason Mount, who impressed and scored a goal.
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The Brazilian is already feeling the stress, knowing full well that there are a number of quality players who have signed for United for similarly large transfer fees and have failed to live up to expectations.
After leading the Selecao team to a 5-0 win over South Korea on Friday, Cunha admitted it felt like he had been at United for much longer than a few months, as he and his team-mates struggled to achieve the form needed to replace Ruben Amorim.
“I’m trying to adapt and learn as much as I can…it’s only been two months,” he said. “But because of the current situation at the club, I feel like I’ve been here for a long time.”
Oh, imagine how Luke Shaw feels.
And Cunha has also fallen into the familiar Old Trafford trap of increasing the pressure on himself as a player signed for big money to right United’s wrongs.
He added: “I’m a (big) contractee, so I have to get results as soon as possible… All this helps me a lot to find adaptation faster and feel as good as possible in the national team.”
But perhaps most worryingly, and this is the criticism leveled at countless United stars over the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, Cunha believes he has ‘arrived’.
“We live in constant search for something, even though sometimes we get a little lost in difficult moments when we are chasing our dreams and encounter obstacles,” he added.
“You want to understand, but even though you have so much, you don’t feel fulfilled by your accomplishments.
“To understand where you have come, you must always remember where you came from.
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“Little by little, I am finding what I was looking for above all as a person. I always want to improve. It’s human nature, but I can’t help but stop and enjoy the moment.”
“It’s an honor to wear the jersey of the best national team in the world, one of the best clubs in the world… It’s a great moment for me personally.
“I have a wonderful family and now we have another little girl. We are all doing well and feeling healthy. We are enjoying all of this in a positive way.”
Too many players see United as a late game. The point where they “perfected soccer.” It used to be a club that won trophies, but these days it has become a place where people accumulate wealth while resting on their laurels.
