Manchester United may have another Eric Cantona on their hands, who has been labelled the mastermind behind their 2-1 win over Liverpool. M17 is back to high spirits after victory at Anfield, thanks to goals from Harry Maguire and Bryan Mbeumo either side of Cody Gakpo’s finish.
But another of Ruben Amorim’s stars, who was not directly involved in either goal, has been compared to none other than Cantona for his display on Merseyside. The iconic Frenchman, who spent five years at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, is widely credited for shaping the Premier League into the entertainment vehicle it has become.
At United, Cantona won four league titles in five years. Matheus Cunha can only dream of leading the Red Devils to similar accomplishments, in their current state, but he is well on the way to becoming a club favourite, according to Stephen Warnock.
The former Liverpool and Leeds defender gushed over Cunha’s performance as he led the line without Benjamin Sesko and could not stop himself from comparing the Portuguese maestro to Cantona.
“I thought yesterday Cunha was outstanding,” Warnock said on BBC 5 Live Sport. “Best player on the pitch by a country mile. He just retained the ball, took pressure off his team, drew fouls at important times.
“And it was one of those moments when you think, and I don’t want to throw out a big name but I am going to, the influence of Cantona. He’s got that aura. He’s got that sort of weight of the shirt and he goes: ‘Yeah, I love it. It’s not a problem for me. Give me the ball in tight situations.’
“There was a moment very late in the game and I was just purring over it in commentary, going: ‘There’s three players around them, he’s not fussed, and doesn’t care at all’.”
United are well aware of Cunha supreme talent and a smart INEOS move saw them pre-empt any potential rival interest for the former Wolves talisman by bringing him in early.
By the end of May, they had made strong progress and by June 2 he was announced as a new United player.
Less than a week earlier, they met Wolves’ terms of Cunha’s £62.5million release clause, but managed to negotiate a payment plan where they would send the money in three instalments over a two-year period.
Wolves had already rejected their proposal to pay the fee over five years.
But United were able to wrap up the deal swiftly, giving Amorim plenty of time on the training pitch to get the best out of Cunha, which was on full display against Liverpool.
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