Ruben Amorim has had a turbulent start of life as Manchester United -Baas, but if he can solve the Matheus Cunha regsel, it can change everything for him at Old Trafford.
Mail Sport revealed on Monday that United is getting closer to an agreement with the Wolves Forward, although they would still have to activate his £ 62.5 million release clause. Cunha has also been interested in Newcastle, but seems to have been influenced by the prospect of playing a key role in the reconstruction process of Amorim.
And that's the thing with Cunha. To bring the best out of the Brazilian, a coach must place him in the heart of his project and the figures from Cunha make it tempting.
The downside is his irregular defensive contribution and unpredictable temperament. Clubs have to decide whether the good is heavier than the bad and £ 62.5 million is a lot of money to gamble.
First the plus points. Cunha was directly involved in 19 of Wolves's 50 league goals last season – with 12 goals and seven assists – and has 14 goals and four assists this period, from a team total of 48.
Those who have worked with the 25-year-old consider him one of the most talented players they have seen, a fast, skilled attacker who slides over the field and can pass and shoot with both feet.
On average, he is more than three shots per game and creates more than four shooting opportunities per 90 minutes – excellent statistics, especially for one side that has struggled for large parts of the last two seasons.
When he is in shape, Cunha is the kind of player who is worth the price of a ticket. Cunha is a throwback in an era of ultracom complex tactical structures. He can easily beat opponents and send social media wild with his tricks. It is no surprise that Cunha Ronaldinho Afafgood is still delighted when he receives a WhatsApp framework from his hero.
Just like Ronaldinho, Cunha plays on instinct and the possible times that many players could not deliver if they tried 100 times. And just like the former Barcelona Groot, Cunha can be an obligation when his team does not have the ball.
Former Wolves boss Gary O'Neil worked tirelessly with Cunha to improve his all-round game. He would keep detailed meetings with his star forward, explaining the urgent structures of Wolves and how each player has to perform a specific task to ensure that the plan did not fall apart.
For a while the message was received from O'Neil. Sometimes Cunha could be a challenge to manage during training sessions and would be frustrated when fewer talented teammates made mistakes. A sensitive soul, Cunha can take incredibly personal criticism – not easy for a coach who just tries to encourage a natural soloist to be part of an orchestra.
But in 53 games under O'Neil, Cunha produced 22 goals and 12 assists and the run of three victories in 26 league games that cost O'Neil's job can hardly be accused of Cunha.
However, the person who signs Cunha must be convinced that he can iron the nods that prevent a very good player from becoming excellent.
Unfortunately for romantics there is little room for Mavericks in modern football. Although Jack Grealish has won the lot in Manchester City, he never received the permit to express himself in Aston Villa.
Almost every Top Premier League attacker nowadays has to be just as effective without the ball with it. The exceptions can be made for Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland, it is because they have produced 93 goals and 36 assists between them in fewer than two seasons.
The current wolven boss Vorror Pereira criticized Cunha's 'body language' in the 3-1 defeat in Chelsea in January and served two suspensions this season. The first was the result of an argument with an employee of Ipswich after a home defeat in Molineux last December – the last match of O'Neil de Leaders.
Cunha was banned for two games and fined £ 80,000, lowered from a recommended £ 120,000 after he offered to pay a new glasses for the security officer.
Then there was the red card in the FA Cupstropdas in Bournemouth in March, when Cunha completely lost its canvas, seemed to focus a head on Milos Kerkez and then had to be accompanied by the tunnel.
Throw in the pronounced social media messages and testy exchanges with fans on those platforms and you have quite a rap sheet.
A friendlier reading is that Cunha sometimes acts as impulsively outside the field when he is on it. His football information is also reflected in other areas: as well as Portuguese – his first language – speaks Cunha English, Spanish and German.
Cunha's father, Carmelo, is a chemistry teacher and if he had not become a football player, he might have moved to civil engineering.
He is part of a close -knit family and strongly feels the attraction of his hometown, the coastal town of Joao Pessoa in northeast Brazil. He talked movingly about the decline of his mental health after he had been omitted from the Brazilian team for the World Cup 2022.
Although Cunha may not be suitable for clubs such as Manchester City or Liverpool, he can be ideal for United. In the best scenario, Cunha would take part of the creative pressure from Bruno Fernandes and form a productive concept with the most important man of United.
Where other players can crumble under the pressure of playing for a football giant, Cunha thrives at the center of the stage. Whether it is in Old Trafford or elsewhere, Cunha has the talent to shine in the greatest arenas of football. On balance he deserves the chance to show it. The rest is up to him.