Matheus Cunha has already said how Manchester United must handle him in 2025/2026

Some players need an arm around their shoulder and others need to be shouted at.

The modern-day player tends to fall into the first category and Manchester United's first summer signing, Matheus Cunha, hasn't been afraid to admit that he needs to feel "affection."

Cunha reached a low point while at Atletico Madrid and he credits Wolves for breathing new life into his career. “Sometimes all we want in life is affection,” said Cunha in a fascinating interview with The Guardian in March.

"People think we have everything, but we’re human beings, too. We need a bit of understanding – we have our difficulties. Wolves gave me that joy back. The fans [have given] me a lot. The status I have today, the player I am now and the happiness I’m feeling, it’s because of them."

Ruben Amorim's man-management should get the best out of Cunha. Amorim builds personal relationships with his players and the Brazilian should respond well to his approach.

Cunha initially struggled at Wolves under the old-school Julen Lopetegui, but the appointment of Gary O'Neil helped him play with a smile again. "Gary understood me completely,” Cunha said. “He came in and said: ‘Man, I think you’re an incredible person, but you need affection.

"And I’m going to give you affection. I’m going to complain when I need to complain, but I’m almost going to be family for you'. When someone sees something in you beyond the player, it touches you. These conversations and these lessons were of great importance in my life.”

Cunha can speak Portuguese, English, Italian, French, German and Spanish fluently, which means he'll transcend the dressing room at Carrington, and he seems like a certainty to become popular among his peers.

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