Alan Shearer sticks boot into Man Utd with Matheus Cunha transfer verdict

Manchester United are pressing ahead with a move for Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, who boasts a £62.5million release clause and recently attracted interest from Premier League rivals

Premier League icon Alan Shearer claims that Matheus Cunha won’t make a difference at Manchester United – unless he’s followed by ‘six or seven’ more signings. Cunha, 25, is high on United’s summer shopping list, despite signing a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Wolves in February.

Written into that deal is a release clause understood to be worth £62.5million, a fee which Old Trafford chiefs believe that they can afford. Brazilian forward Cunha recently expressed his desire to leave Wolves following interest from Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window, and he was influential during Sunday’s 1-0 win against United.

United are planning to sell Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia, all of whom have been loaned out this season, in order to rebuild Ruben Amorim’s squad. And that’s exactly what Shearer feels United need in order for Cunha to thrive.

“[He] wouldn’t make a difference for Man United – they’re going to need another six or seven players on top of that,” the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer declared. “He’s just one of the players, if it is going to happen, but yeah I get it and I understand it”

Shearer went on to say: “He’ll be a welcome addition, absolutely. I don’t know what they’re going to have to pay for him. I suspect it’s quite a hefty amount. Has he got talent? Absolutely. Is he a bit of a maverick? Yeah, but you get that with most good players – they have an edge to them and a side which some people may not like.”

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United are targeting Cunha, who’d likely play in one of the No.10 positions in Amorim’s system, plus a striker. Liam Delap is under consideration and Shearer is a big fan of the 22-year-old, who’s expected to be available for £30m if Ipswich are relegated.

“They need a top-class centre-forward like Delap, but they need someone like Cunha as well,” the former Newcastle striker told Betfair. “They need players defensively as well – all around the pitch they need reinforcements.

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“Whether they can go out and spend that much, I don’t know. I suspect that may depend whether they get into the Champions League or not. I’ve read that there’s about a £30m release clause for Liam Delap, which means that someone is going to get a real bargain in that. It isn’t a lot of money for a centre-forward with big potential, like he has.

“He’ll have tons of options, Delap will. When you look at all the clubs who need a centre-forward in the Premier League – Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool, Spurs – there’ll be huge clubs all looking at Delap. There’s no doubt, if it is that amount of money, then he will have big options.”

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