Ruben Amorim demands immediate Man Utd transfer FIX despite Cunha spark on debut

Rob McCarthy 20 Jul 2025 9:33 AM

Matheus Cunha, Ruben Amorim Man Utd

Ruben Amorim sent a worrying transfer message to Manchester United’s hierarchy following the pre-season 0-0 draw against Leeds United, while also delivering his verdict on the debut of big-money signing Mathus Cunha and fellow new boy Diego Leon.

The Red Devils began their summer preparations on Saturday in Stockholm against their Premier League rivals in a match that lacked quality, with both sides showing very little cutting edge in the final third.

However, there were some bright sparks for Man Utd, with both Cunha and fellow summer signing Diego Leon looking lively.

United remain in the hunt for fresh additions ahead of the new season, although a deal worth more than £70million for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo is close to being finalised.

One area of the pitch that needs improving was highlighted by Amorim, though, after the friendly clash with Daniel Farke’s side.

Veteran Casemiro and youngster Toby Collyer started in midfield together, with skipper Bruno Fernandes often dropping deeper to get on the ball.

Amorim then changed his entire team for the second half, with Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo in central midfield, supported by Mason Mount.

However, he remains concerned by how his engine room is shaping up ahead of the new campaign, admitting afterwards: “It was a pre-season game. The gaps between our sectors was sometimes too big.

“We have a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park and you can feel it is hard to win and bring the ball. But we created chances.”

In terms of potential help on that front, United have been linked with the likes of Lyon’s Corentin Tolisso, Valencia’s Javi Guerra and PSG ace Fabian Ruiz.

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Amorim gives verdict on Cunha, Leon debuts

Despite his side’s struggles to find the back of the net against Leeds, Amorim was otherwise pretty positive on his team’s performance and believes the best is yet to come for Cunha, who was one of the standouts in Sweden.

Amorim added: “I think Matheus Cunha showed what we need. That he is a player when he receives the ball between the lines can be really aggressive in the direction of the opponents.

“We watched that during last season in a different team so we expect the same thing. Of course you can see the connection between him and Bruno is still not there but it’s going to be a good connection.”

As for Leon’s debut at left wing-back, Amrim added: “We have to understand that the kid came from Paraguay. It’s his second week at Manchester United. He did really well, he’s powerful. He’s going to be a very good player.

“The environment is really good. Of course sometimes we are going to struggle, but what I felt in the first moment is that if we are going to struggle, we will struggle together. That is the beginning of everything. Then we have to put the quality. This club is not just about the effort, it’s about the quality. We have to win games.

“We need to create that bond between everybody [on the United States tour] – not just between the players but the staff. All the changes are stopping. We need to leave that as a group.

“We have a lot to improve, the speed of the game, all of the details. We need to improve.”

United are next in action against West Ham on July 27 on their US tour.