Michael Owen has raised concerns over the ‘attitude’ of Manchester United’s new £62.5m summer signing Matheus Cunha.
United recruited Cunha from Wolves in June and the 26-year-old made his Premier League debut for the Red Devils in Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal.
Cunha shined in the top-flight for Wolves last term, conjuring up 15 goals and six assists across 33 games for the West Midlands club.
But former United striker Owen feels there is a ‘question mark’ over the Brazilian who ’caused fights on numerous occasions’ at Wolves.
Owen: Cunha gets sent off a lot
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‘My only question mark is his attitude,’ Owen told AskGamblers. ‘He gets sent off a lot, he waves his arms a lot, and you’ve already got someone like that alongside him in Bruno Fernandes.
‘From a talent point of view, he’s absolutely there. And maybe being at Manchester United, being at a huge club like that, might put some manners on him.
‘You can’t go around grabbing people’s glasses off them after a game, getting sent off, arguing with referees, and causing fights on numerous occasions like he did at Wolves.
‘But when you’re the outstanding player and when you’ve been carrying the club, when all that pressure’s on you and all those different things, then you can understand it a bit.
‘When you go to Manchester United, you’re in the public glare even more, and you need to behave that way.
‘If he irons that out, I think he could be a brilliant signing and as I say, going to Manchester United might put manners on him because there are lots of big stars there, and there have been the greatest stars of all time there in the past.
‘He’s not going to come in and feel like a one-man band like he might’ve at Wolves. So, I think it’s a brilliant signing. But that’s my only question mark.’
‘Mbeumo is probably the total opposite’
Owen believes Bryan Mbeumo, who joined United in a £71m deal from Brentford this summer, is ‘probably the total opposite’ to Cunha.
‘Mbeumo is probably the total opposite,’ Owen added. ‘Again, you’re probably going to get what you’ve seen over time: direct, quick, and can score with both feet.
‘Possibly something Manchester United have been lacking is directness in play and pace, really.
‘So that’s quite a signing, you’re not really questioning too much. You’d expect it to go okay.
‘But I’d be really excited by Cunha. I think he could be exceptional, with the provisos I just mentioned.’