Manchester United’s atrocious Premier League season is now guaranteed to end with their lowest ever finish since the inception of the new version of England’s top flight in 1992/93.
The catastrophic campaign has left United facing a huge summer with new head coach Ruben Amorim desperate for the backing of the INEOS ownership who employed him midway through the term.
Multiple reports suggest Wolves attacking powerhouse Matheus Cunha is going to be the first through the doors at Old Trafford with United expected to meet the player’s release clause in the coming weeks.
However, as reported by The Mirror, former Premier League striker Alan Shearer believes United need six or seven further additions alongside Cunha to give Amorim any chance of writing a different story next season.
Whilst Shearer backs the move for the Wolves man, he didn’t hold back on his assessment of United’s current crop and believes the Brazilian makes no difference if they do not back it up with a complete overhaul.
“He’ll be a welcome addition, absolutely. 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.
“(Cunha) wouldn’t make a difference for Man United – they’re going to need another six or seven players on top of that,” he said.
The Premier League record goal scorer named Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap at a perfect option to join Cunha in the attacking areas of Amorim’s squad, particularly given his modest release clause.
“They need a top-class centre-forward like Delap, but they need someone like Cunha as well
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 added.
If the path looks clear for United to sign Cunha, the same cannot be said for Delap who has a raft of big name clubs vying for his signature after an impressive first season in the Premier League.
Shearer reflected this in his further comments, claiming the 22-year-old will have his pick of destinations come the summer.
“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’s no doubt, if it is that amount of money, then he will have big options,” he added.
Adding goals to the side is clearly the priority for Amorim but Shearer also feels United need to bring in players “defensively and all around the pitch”, if they are to close the gap to the European places next year.
Before then, however, United and Amorim still have business to take care of on the pitch with a Europa League semi-final on the horizon next week alongside some tricky looking domestic fixtures.
Whilst the focus will be primarily on the European games, United could very well finish 17th in the Premier League which, given the gap between the bottom three and the rest of the league, would be a horrific reflection Amorim and his squad.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
