Is Cunha an upgrade on United's attack?
Given Matheus Cunha's success as the left sided attacking midfielder in Vitor Pereira's 3-4-2-1 system, it is a fair assumption that he will play in a similar role at Old Trafford.Ruben Amorim has used multiple players as his attacking midfielders since moving to Manchester United, but Alejandro Garnacho is perhaps the most direct comparison to the Brazilian.Last week, BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater said that Matheus Cunha is a "better footballer than Garnacho" and the stats tend to agree with him. Cunha is superior in lots of key aspects of an attacking midfielder including goal scoring, chance creation and dribbling. Although Garnacho completes a lot more progressive carries than his new team-mate.Perhaps the most interesting take away from the numbers is Cunha's dribbling. Not only does he attempt more take-ons than Garnacho but he does so with much more efficiency. For context, Cunha's take-on success is in line with Amad Diallo (47%) who is one of the most gifted players on the ball at Manchester United.Of course it is important to remember that Cunha is six years Garnacho's senior and the Argentine has plenty of time to develop his game. But it is pleasing to know that if the 20 year-old were to depart this summer, the club have recruited someone more than capable in his place - at least statistically.
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