Matheus Cunha is the kind of footballer who can divide a room, which is usually a sign that there is something interesting there.
Some forwards are easy to file away. A goalscorer is judged by goals, a winger by beatings and crosses, a No.10 by the chances he creates. Cunha has always been a little harder to reduce. He plays with instinct, irritation, imagination and a touch of chaos, and Manchester United supporters have seen enough of those ingredients to know they can either lift a side or frustrate it.
That is why praise from Kaka, highlighted by Manchester United’s official channels during Brazil’s World Cup build-up, lands at a useful moment. It is not a trophy, a guarantee or a tactical instruction for Michael Carrick. It is simply a respected Brazilian great recognising qualities in a United forward who still feels like he has another level to find.
Cunha needs belief as much as judgement
Cunha’s first season at United gave supporters plenty to work with. There were flashes of real sharpness, passages when he looked like the one player willing to receive the ball under pressure and do something uncomfortable with it, and other moments when the final action did not quite match the idea.
That is the bargain with players of his type. They are not always neat. They can make a simple attack look complicated, then make a complicated attack look simple. Anyone who grew up watching United sides with expressive forwards knows the difference between wastefulness and invention. Cunha walks close to that line, but he does not hide from the ball.
For Carrick, that matters. United cannot build a better team solely from players who recycle possession safely. They need footballers with the courage to turn, commit defenders and play in the spaces where contact is coming. Cunha has that appetite, and the fact Brazil voices still see high value in him should not be ignored.
Read Man Utd’s Matheus Cunha World Cup player data already underlined how important this summer could be for his status.
The Brazil stage can sharpen him
World Cups can be cruel to players on the edges of a national team. Minutes are scarce, scrutiny is heavy and every cameo can feel like a trial. Yet that is also why the tournament can help Cunha.
Brazil do not hand out attacking roles lightly. Their history weighs on every forward who pulls on the shirt. Kaka understands that better than most, and his public backing is a useful reminder that Cunha’s game is not just noise. There is intelligence in how he moves between positions, receives on the half-turn and tries to connect the forward line.
United will watch that closely. The club’s wider World Cup schedule is not just a list of fixtures; it is a summer of evidence for Carrick as he thinks about what comes next.
Cunha does not need to dominate the tournament to return to Manchester with value. A confident role, a decisive contribution or even a sharper rhythm could matter. Sometimes a player comes back from international football with his shoulders a little higher, and United could do with that version of him.
United still need his edge
The easy thing this summer is to talk about new signings, sales and the next reshuffle. United always seem to live in that market weather. But improvement also has to come from players already in Carrick’s dressing room, especially those with enough talent to be more influential than they have been.
Cunha belongs in that group. He is not beyond criticism, and supporters should expect more end product from a forward in a United shirt. Standards at Old Trafford do not soften because a player is expressive.
But there is a reason his game still feels worth persisting with. United have spent too many years looking predictable when matches tighten. Cunha can be untidy, but he can also be awkward for defenders in a way this team needs.
That is why the wider World Cup picture, from United’s history of World Cup winners to the current squad’s summer tests, should matter to Carrick.
Kaka’s praise will not decide Cunha’s United career. The player has to do that himself, through performances that carry more threat and more consistency. But it does remind United supporters of something worth keeping in mind: there is a serious footballer in there, and this summer is a good time for him to show it.
