Matheus Cunha determined to help change fortunes of ‘dream team' Man United
Matheus Cunha is delighted to have joined his 'dream team' and determined to help Manchester United bounce back from their worst season in 51 years.
The 20-time English champions are in the midst of a rebuild under Ruben Amorim, having limped home 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final to fellow strugglers Tottenham.
The defeat in Bilbao cost them Champions League qualification, meaning United will spend a first season without European football since 2014-15.
But the Red Devils' issues did not deter Brazil international Cunha, who completed his eagerly-anticipated £62.5million switch from Wolves on Thursday.
✍️ It just looks right. pic.twitter.com/2eI1rhTZ1l — Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 12, 2025
'It is the most common phrase that you can say at this moment, but this is the dream come true,' he told MUTV.
'Maybe outside, I think maybe my decision, they don't understand. But when you have always dreamed to play here, it's easier to pick this decision.
'For me, no-one else is like United. Of course, I know it's been a hard season for everyone. I think my decision shows what this club is for me and what I believe this club can be.
'And, of course, I'll do everything that I can to manage this inside of me, to play for my dream team and put my dream team to win.'
Cunha loved United growing up and spoke of his admiration for Wayne Rooney, along with many other members of the triumphant 2008 Champions League side.
The Red Devils are a long way from even qualifying for that competition right now, yet the forward has lofty ambitions.
'I don't think we have one player who comes here and then doesn't think about the glory days in Man United,' Cunha said.
'To remember all the times that they win the Premier League, how many titles it was, and of course to qualify for the Champions League. This is what I think about United, you know to put this club on top.
Matheus Cunha is looking forward to playing under Ruben Amorim (Martin Rickett/PA)
'Then what I can do is everything to show them I'm here to help the team, to conquer these kind of things.'
Cunha is the first of Amorim's summer recruits and the Brazilian, who has signed a deal until 2030 with the option of another year, is excited to work under the United head coach.
'I really believe in him, everything that he did in Portugal,' he said. 'I hope he can conquer the world like he did in Portugal.
'But of course I think he needs the players that can do everything like I'm open to do and help the team, help him. All the conversation that we have had made my decision easier.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Gyokeres decides between Man Utd and Arsenal as he ‘rejects Premier League club' – but Sporting row could wreck transfer
VIKTOR GYOKERES has rejected a move to Manchester United, according to reports. The striker is anticipated to make a transfer this summer with Arsenal one of a number of clubs tracking the Swede. Advertisement 1 Viktor Gyokeres has turned down a move to Manchester United Credit: Alamy United had been tipped to make a move for Gyokeres with manager Ruben Amorim reportedly keen to re-united with the 27-year-old. But according to THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘I'll build on this race' – Rhasidat Adeleke finishes fourth in Bislett Games 400m at Diamond League meeting in Oslo
It was Adeleke's first race at her specialist distance since last September, having raced over 200m earlier this season along with a couple of 4x400m legs at last month's World Relays in China. Drawn in lane six, she got off to a steady start but began to move through the field after halfway, challenging for second as she came off the final bend. But as it was in some key races last year, Adeleke tied up slightly over the final 50 metres, fading to fourth, with USA's Isabella Whittaker taking victory in 49.58 ahead of Norway's Henriette Jaeger (49.62) and Britain's Amber Anning (50.24). Dutch athlete Lieke Klaver was just behind Adeleke in 50.64, with Olympic bronze medallist and European champion Natalia Bukowiecka sixth in 50.67. 'It's my first 400, I'm trying to adjust in terms of that,' said Adeleke. 'Me and my coach have been working on something different so we're just trying to get going, get the season going. The main goal is September so we're working towards that. Adeleke will be back in action over 400m at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday. 'I'll build on this race,' she said. 'Each race I'm building up to make it to where I need to be.' Mark English was also in action in Oslo, the 32-year-old coming home seventh in the 800m, clocking 1:44.33. English, who broke the Irish 800m record on Monday night with 1:43.92 in Hengelo, was on track shortly after for a loaded 800m race that featured four Olympic finalists, and two medallists, from the Paris Games. He kept contact with the field for much of the race but didn't have the gears to go with the world's best over the last 200m, the Donegal athlete finishing seventh in the second fastest time of his career, 1:44.33. The race was won by Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya in 1:42.78. 'I would have liked a bit quicker,' said English. 'But it's a lot of races in a short space of time so that's probably the reason I wasn't able to run 1:43 today. It's hard to do it in every race.' Meanwhile Grand Slam Track, the upstart league co-founded by Michael Johnson, has cancelled its fourth and final meeting of the 2025 season. Johnson called an emergency meeting with athletes and managers on Thursday night to inform them that the final event in Los Angeles on 28-29 June will not go ahead. It's understood the chief reason for the cancellation is financial, with organisers keen to avoid further losses after the league struggled to attract big attendances and TV viewing figures for its first three events. Its inaugural meeting in Kingston, Jamaica played out in front of mostly empty stands, while things improved at the second meeting in Miami and were better again at the third meeting in Philadelphia, where around 30,000 tickets were sold across the two-day event. Organisers plan to return for a second season in 2026 and are expected to announce new investors and partners in the coming weeks. Grand Slam Track said it would award over $12 million in prize money during its first season, with Johnson securing $30 million in investment to get the league off the ground. First-placed prize money stood at $100,000 in each category, with $50,000 for second and $10,000 for eighth. Andrew Coscoran and Sharlene Mawdsley both featured in its first season, with Coscoran earning $50,000 for his runner-up finish in the long-distance category in Miami and $12,500 for his fourth-place finish over 3000m in Philadelphia. Mawdsley earned $15,000 for her sixth-place finish in the long sprints category at the latter event. Elsewhere, Athletics Ireland has announced a 46-strong Irish team for the European Athletics Team Championships, which take place in Maribor, Slovenia on 28-29 June. Ireland will contest the second division against 15 other nations, with the top three teams promoted to the first division and the bottom three relegated. Mawdsley is among the star names on the team alongside fellow Olympians such as Sarah Lavin, Sophie Becker, Cillín Greene, Brian Fay, Eric Favors, Sophie O'Sullivan and Nicola Tuthill. Irish squad for European Team Championships Women Lucy-May Sleeman (100m, 4x100m), Lauren Roy (200m, 4x100m), Sophie Becker (400m, mixed 4x400m), Sophie O'Sullivan (800m), Laura Nicholson (1500m), Róisín Flanagan (5000m), Sarah Lavin (100m hurdles, 4x100m), Arlene Crossan (400m hurdles, mixed 4x400m), Ava O'Connor (3000m steeplechase), Elizabeth Ndudi (long jump), Saragh Buggy (triple jump), Aoife O'Sullivan (high jump), Clodagh Walsh (pole vault), Michaela Walsh (shot put), Niamh Fogarty (discus), Nicola Tuthill (discus), Grace Casey (javelin), Ciara Neville (4x100m), Sarah Leahy (4x100m), Aisling Kelly (4x100m reserve), Sharlene Mawdsley (mixed 4x400m), Cliodhna Manning (mixed 4x400m), Rachel McCann (mixed 4x400m reserve). Men Bori Akinola (100m, 4x100m), Andrew Egan (200m, 4x100m), Cillín Greene (400m, mixed 4x400m), Cian McPhillips (800m), Shane Bracken (1500m), Brian Fay (5000m), Adam Nolan (110m hurdles), Fintan Dewhirst (400m hurdles), Finley Daly (3000m steeplechase), Shane Howard (long jump), Michael Alajiki (triple jump), David Cussen (high jump), Conor Callinan (pole vault), Eric Favors (shot put), Eoin Sheridan (discus), Sean Mockler (hammer), Conor Cusack (javelin), Michael Farrelly (4x100m), Sean Aigboboh (4x100m), Marcus Lawler (4x100m), Ciaran Carthy (mixed 4x400m), Calllum Baird (mixed 4x400m).
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Road-raging Bulls swap home comforts for 'camaraderie' with Leinster's perfect home record on line
Beware the rampaging Bulls, who have swapped home comforts for camaraderie. But Leinster know more than anyone the dangers posed by Jake White's road warriors. It was in Dublin where the first big URC shock happened when Leinster, who had come off a 62-point thrashing of Glasgow the week before, came a cropper at the hands of the Bulls back in the 2022 semi-final. The inaugural tournament saw the Pretoria side stun Johnny Sexton and co. at the RDS, winning 27-26, with Leinster scoring a converted try in overtime. While they went on to lose the final to Stormers in Cape Town, Bulls demonstrated that they meant business in their new environment. Of the 27 knockout games that have taken place in the URC since the first season in 2021/22, seven have been won by the away team. Five of that tally was made up from Munster and Glasgow Warriors wins over the last two seasons, which famously resulted in titles for the away teams. "I wouldn't say we take anything from that," Bulls skipper Ruan Nortje told RTÉ Sport when asked about those feats. "Every year is a new year, [it's] a new game, and a new final, so we can't read too much into what's happened in previous years. "We can just go on with what we've been doing this year. "We've been really good away from home this season for some reason, and the group has been getting on quite well especially on tour." He's not wrong. Bulls have won seven of their nine URC games away from Loftus Versfeld this season and a seventh road win at Croke Park this afternoon would result in their first ever URC title. They've lost two previous finals, both in South Africa, but this is their first decider away from home comforts. "We've actually toured quite well this season," Jake White, the Bulls' charismatic director of rugby, said. "Our win record is better than most. I don't know why it is, we happen to have played really well away from home. "It's a little bit reminiscent of when I was at the Brumbies [in Super Rugby], we went 11 games unbeaten away from home. "Sometimes when you've got that recipe going for you it counts in your favour; you enjoy being together, you enjoy the players spending time together. "And when you win, those memories, those feelings that you have when you get back as a group is special as well. "It doesn't matter where you play, whether it's at Croke Park, Aviva, RDS, South Africa, the challenge is exactly the same, you are going to have to play well to beat them." For all the fine work the Bulls have done in others' fields, Leinster have a fine record on their own patch as well, including winning all four of the games played in GAA HQ. Their Champions Cup loss to Saints, devastating as it was, is the only blemish this season, while they have averaged 22-point winning margins in their 11 home URC victories to this point. Add in handsome wins against Harlequins and Glasgow in the European knockouts and it's even more impressive. In fact, no team has even come within a score of Leinster by the final play, Connacht and Glasgow's losing margin of eight the closest they have been run. Leinster lost their regular-season clash with Bulls to a late penalty by a point and today's game is shaping up to be a one-score affair as well.
