Matheus Cunha made his unofficial Manchester United debut on Saturday against Leeds United—and it took just one half of football for fans to start forming strong opinions.
The Brazilian forward, who arrived from Wolves in a £62.5 million deal earlier this summer, was named in the starting XI alongside fellow new signing Diego Leon for the pre-season clash in Stockholm. While the match was primarily a fitness-building exercise ahead of United’s U.S. tour, it offered supporters an early glimpse of what the new signings could offer.
Despite a sluggish overall team performance, Cunha quickly stood out.
“Everyone is looking a bit sluggish apart from Cunha… got me a little worried,” one fan noted on social media.
Another praised the 26-year-old’s technical ability: “Cunha’s ball carrying is the best in the team, not even Bruno can touch him.”
A third fan kept it simple: “Cunha looks excellent.”
Others echoed similar sentiments, with one commenting: “29 minutes in and we only look dangerous when Cunha has the ball, not shocked.” Another added humorously: “I’m sure Cunha can’t believe his eyes at the horrible football he’s seeing from United.”
At the halftime break, with the score still 0-0, Cunha appeared to be one of the few bright spots in a lackluster United display. Although technically the home side, United wore their white away kit at the Strawberry Arena.
Following the match against Leeds, United will head to the United States to compete in the Premier League Summer Series. They face West Ham on July 27, followed by matches against Bournemouth and Everton.
Back at Old Trafford, United will host Fiorentina on August 9 in their final pre-season game before kicking off the Premier League season against Arsenal on August 17.
Manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly pushing for further reinforcements ahead of the new campaign. According to multiple reports, United have agreed a £71 million deal with Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo and are also exploring moves for a striker and a goalkeeper. Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is said to be on the club’s radar.
