All roads lead to Bilbao in the Europa League, with Manchester United still left with a glimmer of hope regarding the chance to end this wretched campaign on a real high.
For a third successive campaign, the Red Devils could round off the season with a notable piece of silverware. Even in the most desperate of times, this team can still pull a rabbit out of the hat.
European glory and the ensuing Champions League qualification would certainly be something to cherish, although it should not mask the task ahead for new boss Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese coach still yet to truly revive this sinking ship.
Currently residing in 14th in the Premier League, the Old Trafford side have now scored just once across their last four top-flight outings – a fact that has only heightened the need to bolster the forward line this summer.
With the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony all looking set to depart permanently this summer following their respective loan moves, the hope will be that funds will be available to revive this limp attacking unit.
According to recent reports, it already looks as if INEOS have settled on their first leading target, ahead of strengthening for next season.
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With few distractions, outside of Europa League action, the remainder of the campaign should well be used to get ahead on the transfer front. No longer should United be left scrambling around in August or on deadline day.
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Thankfully, the new INEOS regime appear to be keen to avoid that latter scenario, with reports already rife that the Red Devils are progressing with regard to the potential signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman, Matheus Cunha.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has outlined that United are in pole position for the Brazilian’s signature, with The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell since adding that positive talks have been held regarding the 25-year-old’s personal terms.
That comes amid claims from the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones that suggested Amorim and co are even ‘inching closer to an agreement’ for the former Atletico Madrid man, albeit with United still needing to activate his £62.5m release clause.
Jones went on to add that INEOS are keen to get terms agreed by next month, to ensure that ‘they still have headroom under Profit and Sustainability Rules’, with it likely to be the case that the club will need to sell to buy if notable deals are to be made this summer.
Having seemingly fended off competition from the likes of Newcastle United, it looks as if United are closing in on the signing of such a leading Premier League talent…
Why Man Utd could be set to sign the next Cantona & Berbatov
It has been a common theme in the Premier League era – particularly during Sir Alex Ferguson’s glory days – for United to try and raid the rest of the division for the best attacking talents, be it Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov and, of course, Eric Cantona.
There are certainly shades of the latter two with regard to Cunha, with the £90k-per-week star something of a “maverick” and a “flawed genius”, in the words of journalist Nathan Juddah, albeit while combining that with his status as a “match-winner” and a “superstar”.
Those are no doubt traits shared by the great Cantona, in particular, with the iconic Frenchman a truly enigmatic and talismanic figure for United, following his arrival from rivals Leeds United on a £1.2m deal in November 1992.
The driving force of United’s domestic dominance in the early 90s, ‘King Eric’ went on to claim four league titles during his stint in Manchester, while racking up 82 goals in 182 games for the club in total.
With his collar up and chest out, the beloved forward strutted his stuff around the Old Trafford turf, combining moments of magic on the pitch, with his at-times colourful actions off it. Who can forget that Kung-Fu kick at Selhurst Park.
Cunha, meanwhile, mirrors that knack for going from the sublime to the ridiculous, with 2024/25 alone seeing him memorably score directly from a corner against Amorim’s side on Boxing Day, albeit while since receiving two separate suspensions for off-the-ball altercations.
Like Cantona, the one-time RB Leipzig man can be hot-headed, but more importantly, however, he appears to relish his talismanic status at Molineux, having now scored 14 league goals this season, after netting 12 times in 2023/24.
Capable of operating as a centre-forward or off the front – again, like Cantona – the ‘maverick’ Brazil international has that ability to switch it on in an instant, as he actually tops the division for most time spent walking on the pitch, excluding goalkeepers.
That at-times ‘lazy’ quality is something that was shared by the aforementioned Berbatov, albeit with the Bulgarian – who signed from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2008 – subsequently outlining the benefits of that approach:
“Some people don’t understand it, but if you are clever in your head, even if you are slow in speed, you can still be quick. You can position yourself better and be even more use to your team.”
The silky striker memorably claimed the top-flight Golden Boot as United romped to the title in the 2010/11 campaign, having also possessed that Cantona-esque knack for the spectacular, be it his touchline trickery against West Ham United, or his overhead-kick as part of a treble against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Cunha – who scored from range out of nothing at Anfield back in March – can also conjure up a magic moment in an instant, with the Red Devils needing that ‘maverick’ talent to revive this lifeless frontline.
Like Cantona and Berbatov before him, the 25-year-old certainly isn’t perfect, but he is a showman. It doesn’t appear that the United jersey would weigh too heavy on him…
Related
Romano: What we know so far about Man Utd’s £62.5m talks for Matheus Cunha
This would be some coup.
