🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: Why he's a man in demand
But our Premier League Player of the Week comes from the action in between...
Matheus Cunha (Wolves)
📸 Joe Prior - 2025 Getty Images
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After a week of media reports in his native Brazil and in England that Manchester United were very keen on the Wolves striker, who is also reportedly open to that move, he stepped up and showed why such interest exists.
Cunha, who returned fresh earlier this month from serving a two-game suspension and paying a hefty fine for his antics in the FA Cup loss at Bournemouth, was simply unplayable in his side's 3-0 win over Leicester.
Goals wise, he did all of the damage - opening the scoring before going on to set up the two which followed.
The former Atlético de Madrid ace was in sizzling form even prior to breaking the deadlock, bursting clear of three challenges from inside his own half and skewing just wide before a delightful flick give-and-go ended with him firing down the middle for a routine stop.
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But there was nothing Leicester's Mads Hermansen could do to deny him when the opener arrived, more brilliant link-up play with Rayan Aït-Nouri ending in a simple finish from close range.
After the break, he first teed up Jørgen Strand Larsen with a delightful through ball to double their side's lead before rounding off the goals by unselfishly laying off for Rodrigo Gomes after leaving Conor Coady exposed with his pace.
Cunha's strike was his 15th Premier League goal of the season - making it the joint-highest scoring campaign for a Brazilian in the competition's history, along with Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Martinelli.
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Along with his six assists, it means his 21 goal involvements for the year are second only to Raúl Jiménez (23) in 2019/20 for the Old Gold and you would not bet against him breaking that record.
"He's a special player. When he feels happy, when he is himself, he can create so much," his coach Vitor Pereira said of his latest man of the match performance.
"He had a fantastic game. It shows his commitment to us, to his team-mates, to everyone."
With an apparent £62.5m release clause, is it only a matter of time before that commitment is tested?
📸 Joe Prior - 2025 Getty Images
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