“Down to him”: United’s Samba genius credits the club’s resurgence to surprise individual, fans will be left scratching their heads

After a turbulent 18-month period under Ruben Amorim, Manchester United finally look to be back on track under Michael Carrick. Under the Portuguese tactician, the Red Devils won a mere 15 Premier League games, a shocking statistic. Their longest winning streak consisted of three games. The caretaker head coach broke that dismal record instantly upon arrival, as the 20-time English league champions won their first four games on the bounce and are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak. This impressive run of form under the former midfielder has taken the Old Trafford side up to fourth in the standings, just five points shy of third-placed Aston Villa. Carrick’s arrival has transformed United Carrick’s arrival has also led to the resurgence of quite a few players who were struggling to shine under former head coach, with Kobbie Mainoo being a case in point. Yet, Matheus Cunha credited Amorim as one of the reasons behind United’s improvement this season. While speaking to DAZN, the Brazilian explained, “I’m very grateful for everything Ruben did. “Despite everything it’s very easy, when things change, to look back at how things were previously as just negative. But it’s quite the opposite; he was an incredible person. Many new players came because of him, so a big part of the good moment we’re experiencing is down to him, too.” One of the biggest criticisms the former Sporting CP boss faced was his obstinate adherence to his 3-4-3 system, a style of play the club was simply not used to. Yet, Cunha credits Amorim That meant quite a few stars were played out of position, such as Bruno Fernandes. However, Cunha claimed the squad was so caught up with talks about the system that they failed to complete basic tasks. And that was what eventually led to Ruben Amorim getting the sack. “The pressure for that tactic to work was so great that we forgot how simple the overall context was and focused too much on the negative. “To be completely honest, I think stats in football are very misleading. We attack in different ways. We end up defending with the set-up that everyone says is Ruben’s formation.” Ruben Amorim did get rid of problematic stars and ensured United had a successful summer window. But that was about it in terms of positives. His win ratio speaks for itself. And Matheus Cunha’s positive words simply cannot hide that fact. Feature image Matt McNulty via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25