Although captain Bruno Fernandes is the main playmaker at Manchester United and the man leading the charge in 2025/26 as a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate, Matheus Cunha has been able to show his ridiculous quality for the Red Devils in his first season at the club.
Cunha is no stranger to highlight reels. He was making them even as a Bundesliga prospect for RB Leipzig and the lone saving grace for an awful Hertha Berlin, but he didn’t become a big name in world football until he carried Wolves on his back, earning a move to Manchester United this summer.
So far, he has been worth the price tag. Cunha is averaging 3.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game as the main left winger for Man United, and though he has just six goals and two assists in 26 Premier League appearances, his actual all around play on the pitch is better than the goal contributions indicate.
Matheus Cunha may not be a starter next season
The thing is, Man United are increasingly interested in left wing talent, with Yan Diomande of Cunha’s alma mater RB Leipzig being especially attractive in the midst of a quietly insane breakout season in Germany.
Cunha is not the long term solution on the left wing. He is truly a No. 10 and an attacking midfielder or supporting striker who scores more goals, registers more assists, and makes a bigger impact in the middle of the park.
But while Cunha’s long term fit is as a 10, he may not be able to transition there for, ahem, a longer time than he would like, because Bruno is playing so well that it is a no brainer for Man United to keep their best player and team leader; he is far from finished yet.
Fernandes should be able to age gracefully as Man United’s 10, so it may be a few years before he is finished. And since Manchester United will replace Cunha with a left winger who can provide more width – even Patrick Dorgu on the left wing has afforded the Red Devils key benefits at times this season under new coach Michael Carrick – Cunha’s best role for the club may be as a utility backup roving between these roles as needed.
Now, this kind of depth is necessary if you want to be an elite club in England competing for the title, and ask any Manchester United fan older than 20 about the merits of a player like Cunha in a backup role; United’s best seasons came with a bevy of options.
Someone has to be on the outside looking in, and while Cunha probably did not dream of that when he came to Man U after being the clear guy for Wolves, he may like it a lot more if the Red Devils start winning trophies.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.