MANCHESTER UNITED are eyeing up a maverick with a questionable temperament to reignite their misfiring forward line.
He plays just behind the striker, weighs in with his fair share of goals and possesses the guile to provide assists for others, too.
Cunha gets in a tussle with a member of Ipswich Town’s backroom staffGetty
Cantona kung fu kicked a supporterREX
At 25, he has plenty of experience both here and overseas and is a real crowd favourite — although he never seems to be far away from controversy.
Sound familiar?
There will only ever be one Eric Cantona in the eyes of the Stretford End, of course.
But United’s interest in Wolves’ Brazilian talisman Matheus Cunha has some fans wondering if he could be the man to revive them — just as King Eric did when he joined the club in 1992 at age 26.
Old Trafford got a good look at the ace — who has a £62.5million release clause — on Sunday in a forgettable game and liked what they saw. It was Cunha who used his skills to win the free-kick which Pablo Sarabia converted superbly in the 77th minute to guarantee Wolves’ Prem safety.
And with that now secured, talk over where the ex-Atletico Madrid man could go next has heated up.
Red Devils coach Ruben Amorim made a point of having a natter with Cunha in the tunnel following the Easter Sunday encounter.
Mind you, he had nearly let the cat out of the bag in his pre-match press conference.
Cunha scraps with Kerkez after Wolves’ FA Cup tie with BournemouthGetty
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Speaking about the clash with his fellow Portuguese boss Vitor Pereira, Amorim said: “He has real quality players, Cunha and all these guys.”
When asked if that meant he could be a target for United, Amorim hastily backtracked, adding: “I just gave the example because I remembered about Matheus — he’s scoring a lot of goals. Just that.”
The forward has 16 goals in all competitions for Wolves this term — with 14 in the Prem, which is a couple more than he got last season.
Compare that to United, who have managed ONE goal in four top-flight games since last month’s international break.
Cunha has played in Germany and Spain and is now showing in his second full season in English football what he is about.
Wolves also play a similar system to United, so he would be able to slot straight into that hole behind the main striker.
It all sounds too good to be true — but there is the other side to him.
He clashed with a member of Ipswich’s security staff after a home defeat in December, pulling off his glasses and appearing to elbow him.
It is a far cry from Cantona’s infamous kung-fu kick at Crystal Palace in 1995, though.
The 13-cap star also received a four-game ban following his red card for a wild attack on Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez during an FA Cup tie last month.
Wolves fans love him despite his imperfections but he even tested their patience recently.
Even though he only signed a new contract at Molineux in January, he suggested in an interview that he may look elsewhere to fulfil his ambitions.
Cunha said: “Now, we’re close to staying up. But I’ve made it clear I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
He quickly claimed his comments had been misinterpreted and he wants to move forward with Wolves.
Plenty can still happen before Cunha — who turns 26 next month — is paraded on the pitch at the Theatre of Dreams.
Qualifying for next season’s Champions League will have a huge impact on United’s summer budget.
Attracting players of Cunha’s quality will also be helped if they return to Uefa’s top table next season.
United may still need to clear some space on their wage bill and Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho could be sold to make room.
But after witnessing his team draw a blank for the 13th time this season, Amorim is looking at a revamp — and he hopes Cunha could be at the centre of it.
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