Michael Owen has major Matheus Cunha question mark after Man Utd transfer
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has queried Matheus Cunha's attitude following the Brazilian's first Premier League outing for the club. Cunha, a £62.5million summer arrival from Wolves, played the full 90 minutes against Arsenal on Sunday, starting as a No.9 and then dropping back when Benjamin Sesko came off the bench.
Owen is excited by Cunha's quality, having watched him at his former club. However, question marks remain when it comes to other aspects of his on-field behaviour.
'I think Cunha has got a little bit of magic about him. I love watching him play," Owen told AskGamblers. "The first moment I set eyes on him for Wolves, I just thought: 'Oh wow, he's a talented player. I really rate him, and I don't blame Manchester United for getting him. I think he's so talented.
'My only question mark is his attitude. He gets sent off a lot, he waves his arms a lot, and you've already got someone like that alongside him in Bruno Fernandes. From a talent point of view, he's absolutely there. And maybe being at Manchester United, being at a huge club like that, might put some manners on him.
'You can't go around grabbing people's glasses off them after a game, getting sent off, arguing with referees, and causing fights on numerous occasions like he did at Wolves. But when you're the outstanding player and when you've been carrying the club, when all that pressure's on you and all those different things, then you can understand it a bit. When you go to Manchester United, you're in the public glare even more, and you need to behave that way."
Owen suggested Cunha can still be a success at United if he irons out certain aspects of his behaviour. He served two suspensions last season, though - one for an altercation with an Ipswich staff member and anoter for a red card against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
He was initially banned for three games after lashing out at Milos Kerkez in the Bournemouth game. It was then extended by an extra match, though, to go along with the two-game ban he served for the Ipswich incident.
Cunha, who scored 15 league goals for Wolves last season, didn't net for United in pre-season but is warming to his new challenge at Old Trafford. 'I really think the pressure at this club is a privilege,' the former Atletico Madrid frontman said in July.
'It's one of the biggest clubs in the world and when Ruben came to me and showed me the project, I felt like it's a challenge I want to do for my career. United is a club I needed to be at, and like I say it's a big privilege.'
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