“Important signal to send to everyone”: 1999 treble hero reveals why Cunha will set Old Trafford alight from day one

Legendary Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has admitted to being very impressed with the speed at which the club moved to complete the signing of Matheus Cunha.

Earlier this month, United announced the arrival of Cunha, who has joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Heading into the summer transfer window, boosting the team’s goal output was Ruben Amorim’s top priority and he quickly identified Cunha as the ideal candidate to slot into one of the two number 10 positions in his favoured 3-4-2 system.

Cunha enjoyed a fantastic 2024/25 campaign with Wolves, scoring 15 goals and providing an additional six assists.

United triggered the £62.5m release clause that was contained in the Brazilian’s contract at Wolves. Despite interest from other clubs. Cunha made it clear he was only keen on a move to United and his wish came true.

Schmeichel spoke to the club’s media team and shared his belief that Cunha will thrive at Old Trafford.

Explaining the source of his confidence, the 1999 treble winner highlighted that Cunha is already familiar with the pace and intensity of the Premier League, meaning he won’t require a settling-in period.

The 61-year-old said, “It’s a positive one. I think what we haven’t done, for a number of years, is to sign really, really good and well performing players from the Premier League. And, for that to be the first signing, that is an important signal to send to everyone.”

“We’ve signed too many hopefuls, who have done well in other leagues. I don’t want to disrespect any other leagues but the Premier League is just played at a different pace.”

“It’s relentless for 90 minutes every time. You don’t have a moment to relax.”

Schmeichel added, “Playing in the Premier League is just more difficult than any other league.”

“We’ve seen players who haven’t performed particularly well, with us as well, go abroad and you can see, all of a sudden, they can play football because it’s different.”

The former Denmark international emphasised that while Premier League players often come with a hefty price tag, they can be worth the investment, as such signings tend to carry less risk.

Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images


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Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

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