Rio Ferdinand says Man United 'unsung hero' vs Liverpool can become "unplayable" in Ruben Amorim's system
Rio Ferdinand has said that a Man United player can become “unplayable” under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United recorded their biggest win of the season over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over rivals Liverpool at Anfield. The Red Devils have won their last two matches under Amorim and managed to climb up to ninth in the league table after their win at Anfield.
Things are looking a lot more positive at Old Trafford at the moment, with several players impressing against Liverpool, who have now lost their last four games. Harry Maguire scored the winning goal after Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring; however, Mbeumo’s fellow summer signing Matheus Cunha also performed well.
Cunha played as a striker in the absence of Benjamin Sesko, but he played somewhat of a false nine role, which allowed the likes of Mbeumo, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes more space in attacking areas.
Ferdinand says Cunha can become “unplayable” under Amorim
Cunha’s impressive outing made him somewhat of an unsung hero against Liverpool, with his impact not showing on the statistics, but certainly showing via the eye test, so Amorim may decide to play him in a striker role more often.
Former Man United defender Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for Cunha after the Liverpool game, suggesting that the £64m summer signing could become “unplayable” in Amorim’s system.
Ferdinand said on his YouTube Channel: “Cunha, I thought, was magnificent. I think as the game went on as well, especially when we needed someone to kind of give us a bit of time and really respite, he was that guy. I just think he’s a wonderful footballer. Once he gets into full flow, I think he’s going to be almost unplayable at times.”
Cunha’s impressive performance may be a blow to Sesko, who is United’s first-choice number nine, but after the Brazilian excelled against Liverpool, he may have found a new role for himself.
Cunha has regained his starting XI spot
Something that wasn’t talked about much before the international break was the fact that Amorim dropped Cunha in favour of playing Mason Mount in his attacking midfield role alongside Mbeumo and behind Sesko.
Mount performed well in the two previous games, leading many to question how Cunha would be able to get back into the starting XI; however, Amorim seems to have found the way. By playing him in a striker role as a false nine.
Cunha played as a striker during his time at Wolves, and it is clear that this is his best role, even though he’s not a natural number nine. Last year, under Gary O’Neil and Vito Pereira, Cunha scored 17 goals in 36 games, also providing six assists. That’s the sort of production that Man United need if they want to get back into the European places.
The only issue if Amorim does start Cunha as a striker is that Sesko will have to be dropped, something that the 22-year-old doesn’t deserve, as he has scored two in United’s last three matches. However, the ability to switch between Sesko and Cunha up front is a great position for Amorim to be in.