Matheus Cunha’s Madrid misery: What went wrong for Man Utd maverick at Atletico?

Cunha had every right to feel aggrieved, with Spanish football pundit and former United forward Terry Gibson among those who felt he never got a fair shake at the Metropolitano. “I think he’s a loss to Atletico Madrid,” Gibson told The Athletic after Cunha’s departure. “I think Cunha is probably someone they would have liked to have kept, but the financial implications of Wolves making an offer they did were clear.

“He was a player who wasn’t a regular starter, although he probably should have been, and the money was probably too much to turn down. He gave them a lot during the brief time he was at the club and he was always a player you looked at and thought should be getting more starts. But sometimes in football if you’ve got someone like Morata, who has a higher value in terms of finances, then he has to play, but there were a lot of times you thought Cunha should be starting ahead of Morata.”

Cunha’s father Carmelo, meanwhile, pointed the finger of blame squarely at the manager, telling Globo Esporte: “With Simeone’s system, there’s no way a striker can be successful. It’s very difficult.”

Perhaps Simeone harbours some regret how things worked out, because Cunha has been a massive hit in the Premier League. He registered a combined 48 goals and assists in 92 appearances for Wolves, winning the club’s Player of the Season award in 2024-25 after almost single-handedly saving them from relegation.

Aside from Bruno Fernandes, no one was more influential than Cunha in United’s initial resurgence under Carrick, either. He also made his long-awaited World Cup debut over the summer, scoring three goals in five matches for Brazil. The foundations are in place for Cunha to go on and become a world-class player.

It should be noted, though, that Atletico are in a much healthier position than United at the moment. Simeone’s men are second in La Liga and won’t hold any fear about hosting United, having already beaten Real Madrid in a derby clash at the Metropolitano this season.

In stark contrast, Carrick’s Red Devils are 12 points behind early Premier League leaders Manchester City already, and Cunha only has one goal to his name from six appearances. Of course, he will be out to exorcise some demons at the Metropolitano, but Cunha’s main aim is to spark his – and United’s – season into life.