Gary O’Neil has come to the defence of Matheus Cunha before Ipswich Town’s trip to Manchester United, rejecting the idea that his former Wolves player is a volatile character.
Matheus Cunha will face O’Neil at Old Trafford on Sunday when Manchester United host Ipswich in their first home game of the 2026/27 Premier League season. It will be an interesting reunion after the pair worked together at Molineux.
There has been plenty said about Cunha’s temperament since his move to Manchester. O’Neil, though, sees a very different side of the Brazil international.
O’Neil backs former Wolves star
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, O’Neil was asked about Cunha and immediately pushed back against the suggestion that his former player is difficult to handle.
“He’s not that volatile. He’s a great guy. He’s passionate.”
O’Neil admitted that coaching Cunha was a challenge, but not for the reasons some might expect. The forward already had plenty of technical ability. What he needed was a better understanding of his role within the team.
“I loved working with him. I loved the challenge of teaching him, I suppose, because he was unbelievably raw. Not technically, he was unbelievably good technically. But his tactical stuff and his understanding of what the team needed from him, I felt needed a lot of work.”
O’Neil believes the work they did together helped the forward become a better player, and the relationship was positive for both of them.
“We spent a lot of time together trying to help him understand how we can be better for the team, and he committed to it. He was fantastic for us. Obviously, a big, big positive from our time at Wolves was the work done with him. He got a big move off the back of that work.”
Matheus Cunha eventually earned his move to Manchester United, and O’Neil clearly takes some pride in the role he played in helping the striker get there.
He also thinks the player is sometimes judged too harshly.
Matheus Cunha reunion has extra edge
O’Neil was particularly keen to clear up the perception that Cunha is someone who constantly loses his temper.
“He’s maybe misunderstood. I wouldn’t describe him as volatile at all. I think he’s a good guy. He wears his heart on his sleeve.”
The Ipswich Town boss understands why emotions can boil over during Premier League matches, especially when a player cares deeply about what happens on the pitch.
“I suppose the game can sometimes take you to places emotionally. I’ll have done things that maybe you wouldn’t do again. It’s just the nature of the game and the nature of the Premier League. But he’s a good guy.”
There will be little room for sentiment once the two teams meet, though.
Manchester United desperately need a result after starting the season with a 2-0 defeat at Hull City. Cunha started that game through the middle and will be hoping for a much better afternoon in front of the Old Trafford crowd.
Ipswich, meanwhile, arrive with confidence after beating Sunderland in their opening fixture.
O’Neil admitted he would love to get one over his former player.
“I think a lot of him, we still stay in contact, but I’m desperate to beat him and send him a cheeky late night Sunday text saying, ‘unlucky Matheus’. That would be nice.”
He added: “I enjoyed my time with Matheus. I’m glad that he’s gone on to do well and hopefully we can get one over him at the weekend.”
For Cunha, Sunday’s match is another chance to make amends for the disappointing afternoon against Hull City on the opening day.
