We 'signed' Matheus Cunha for Manchester United and a Champions League spot was secured

Manchester United's search for a new forward could be solved soon, with Erik Ten Hag's side reportedly agreeing a fee for Atletico Madrid's Matheus Cunha.

With Anthony Martial injured, Cristiano Ronaldo's future uncertain and Marcus Rashford misfiring, a new forward seems a priority for Ten Hag in the transfer window. Marco Arnautovic, Antony and Benjamin Sesko have all been targets this summer, and according to talkSPORT, United are closing in on a €50m (£42m) deal for Atletico's Cunha.

The versatile Brazilian forward scored seven goals in 37 appearances for the Spanish side last season, with Cunha having joined Atletico from Hertha Berlin last summer. The report from talkSPORT also claims that Ronaldo is not part of the deal for Cunha, with the 37-year-old having been linked with the Spanish side earlier this summer.

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So, if United were to sign Matheus Cunha, could the Brazilian become United's new number nine and help lead the Reds back into the Premier League top four? Let's take a look.

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for the Brazilian to join United, using FM22 to run the simulation. We also updated United's squad with the latest transfers and the Premier League with the latest results.

Cunha started off his United career as a striker before regularly switching between the number nine role and attacking midfield, making 45 appearances in all competitions. In those 45 games, Cunha scored 13 and assisted six.

Interestingly, the 23-year-old played all his Europa League games as an attacking midfielder, grabbing four goals and two assists in 11 appearances. When compared to the Premier League where he played