Cunha Debuts as Manchester United Finds Rhythm

STOCKHOLM, SATURDAY — Manchester United began their preseason journey with a goalless draw against Leeds United. Despite featuring new striker Matheus Cunha, MU's front line has yet to improve. They still appear to be searching for rhythm after the break.

Cunha made his unofficial debut with MU at the Strawberry Arena Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday (19/7/2025) WIB. The striker, purchased for £62.5 million (Rp 1.36 trillion), was deployed as a starter and played for the first 45 minutes.

As expected, Cunha played as a left attacking midfielder in the 3-4-2-1 formation. He has been familiar with that position since his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Cunha was surrounded by midfielder and team captain Bruno Fernandes and teenage striker Chido Obi-Martin.

Cunha's debut performance wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. He repeatedly showed his quality in the half-spaces, penetrating from the second line. The Brazilian international was more successful than unsuccessful when getting past opponents. His aggressiveness was a bright spot for United.

MU coach Ruben Amorim is quite satisfied with Cunha's performance, even though he did not have much impact in the penalty area. "He has shown what we need, a player who can be aggressive in between the lines. We have seen that (since his time at Wolves)," he said, as quoted by the club's official website.

Cunha is quite convincing on an individual level. However, he is still far from expectations in terms of collectivity. His partnership with Fernandes has not yet provided dynamism in the final third against Leeds. In one moment in the penalty area, Cunha also competed with Obi-Martin for a shot.

According to Amorim, it's perfectly normal for Cunha to have not yet gelled with the other players. It was only his first game. Chemistry will develop over time. "You can see his connection with Bruno hasn't formed yet, but I believe their relationship will improve soon," he said.

MU brought in Cunha to address serious issues in front of the opponent's goal. They only scored 44 goals in the Premier League last season. This number is the lowest in the club's history in the Premier League. Cunha managed to create 15 goals last season, more than all the players of the "Red Devils."

As seen in the previous match, adaptation will be the biggest homework for Amorim ahead of the new season. This is because the coach plans to completely overhaul the composition of the attacking line. Following Cunha, Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo will soon join the Red Devils. They are also eyeing a new striker.

Amorim replaced the entire starting lineup at the beginning of the second half. He introduced several key players, such as wing-back Patrick Dorgu, midfielder Manuel Ugarte, and forward Rasmus Hojlund. The result did not change much. MU continued to struggle in creating meaningful opportunities.

The best opportunity for MU came with about two minutes of normal time remaining. Starting from a set-piece scheme, midfielder Kobbie Mainoo's header hit the crossbar. The Red Devils managed to produce a total of 18 shots, but only four were on target.

"This is a preseason match. The distance between the lines is sometimes still too wide. We were not quick enough, especially in the midfield. You can feel that we struggled to carry the ball, but we were able to create opportunities. This is a good test for us," explained Amorim.

Leeds only produced four shots throughout the match. Nevertheless, they played very patiently when in possession. This included their ability to break through the opponent's high press. This is what allowed the team coached by Daniel Farke to have a slight edge in ball possession at 50.3 percent.

Leeds, which will return to the top division next season, also gave a debut to a new player, namely Sean Longstaff. The new midfielder was brought in from Newcastle United. Longstaff came on from the bench and played throughout the second half.

Meanwhile, veteran Leeds striker Patrick Bamford is not included in the squad. According to Farke, Bamford is not part of his plans for the upcoming season. "After the last two seasons, I will not take him as one of our main players in the Premier League," said the coach to Sky Sports.

Bamford has been representing Leeds since 2019. He reached the peak of his success during the 2020-21 Premier League season. The player, who has one appearance with the England national team, scored 17 goals and provided 9 assists in a single season. This achievement could not be maintained following a series of injuries. (AFP)