Matheus Cunha Eric CantonaGetty/GOAL

Omar Berrada backs £62.5m Matheus Cunha to be an 'Eric Cantona-esque' signing for Man Utd as CEO targets Premier League title glory by 2028

WHAT HAPPENED?

More big money is being spent at Old Trafford in the summer transfer window of 2025. Brazil international Cunha formed part of the first deal to be completed, with the 26-year-old forward completing a move from Wolves after seeing his release clause triggered.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

He is a proven Premier League performer, on the back of two-and-a-half years at Molineux, and is being backed to provide the kind of spark in Manchester that enigmatic Frenchman Cantona delivered at the start of an incredible trophy-winning era under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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WHAT BERRADA SAID

Berrada has told United We Stand and The Athletic of Cunha: “He’s a player that I think fans are going to love. We can talk about his technical abilities and he can play in three different positions. He’s a playmaking attacking midfielder; he can score goals, he can make assists. I think he’s going to lift people off their seats. He’s got a bit of a swagger about him that people are going to really like. Dare I say, Cantona-esque.

“He was an important one to get done. We’re going to do our best to do more signings quickly. Sometimes when you’re not quick, it’s because you’re negotiating and you’re trying to make sure you get the right value for money. So being efficient or quick isn’t necessarily the best thing for the club.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Cunha has been acquired to help United complete ‘Project 150’, with the club hoping to have won titles in the men’s and women’s game by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2028.

Berrada added on those ambitious targets: “We’ve just finished 15th and it seems like an impossible task. But why not aim for it? Why not do everything in our power?

“I firmly believe that we can do it. We have two or three summer windows to build a team to start competing to win the Premier League, and if we can achieve it before then, we’ll all be happy - and so nobody’s saying that we don’t want to win it until then.”

Old Trafford general viewGetty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United are set to discover their 2025-26 schedule when the new Premier League fixture lists are released on Wednesday. They will be heading to the United States for another pre-season tour this summer, which includes meetings with West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.

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