Man United legend has his say on Matheus Cunha performance in debut v Leeds
Matheus Cunha made his first appearance in a Manchester United shirt as his new side faced Leeds United at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm on Saturday.
Cunha, 26, left Wolves last month to join the Red Devils in a deal worth £62.5million.
His debut for Man United was widely anticipated, with it being against bitter rivals Leeds in a so-called friendly match in Sweden.
However, it was a rather quiet performance by Cunha, who was once linked with a move to Leeds.
Ronny Johnsen delivers verdict on Matheus Cunha
Leeds managed to keep Cunha quiet the first time he wore Man United’s colours (even though those colours were white).
He was substituted off at half-time as Ruben Amorim made widespread changes to his line-up.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | |
| Premier League | 33 | 15 | 6 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Carabao Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Although he didn’t manage to contribute to any goals, Manchester United legend Ronny Johnsen, who won the 1998/99 treble at Old Trafford, was impressed by what he saw and cannot wait to see the Brazilian realise his potential in the North-West.
Speaking on MUTV on 19 July, Johnsen said: “I really like when they play him in early so he has the space to turn into.
You can see the potential he has every time they do one-touch passing, so he has that space to go into. When he does, he turns on the ball and goes straight at defenders; it all happens around him.
“He’s a player who’s really exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing more of.”
Leeds should be pleased with display v Man United
Despite it being a big, fancy stadium in Sweden and against bitter rivals Man United, Leeds didn’t have to bring their A-game to Stockholm on Saturday.
Daniel Farke will have been way more concerned about getting his players up to match fitness ahead of the new Premier League season, which kicks off when they welcome Everton to Elland Road on 18 August.
Man United were utterly abject last season and won’t be playing any European football at all in the coming campaign.
However, they remain a club packed with bright talents and Cunha is undoubtedly one of them.
Farke’s main focus would have been fitness, yes. But he’d have no doubt been happy with the way his side kept the likes of Cunha and Bruno Fernandes quiet.
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