Gary Neville says £62.5m Man Utd star ‘has got balls’ – ‘He keeps going’ | OneFootball

Gary Neville has raved about Manchester United and Brazil international forward Matheus Cunha, while questioning midfielder Kobbie Mainoo’s role in the team under manager Michael Carrick this season.

The former Man Utd defender believes that Cunha is perfect for the Red Devils.

The Sky Sports pundit has outlined the reasons why the 27-year-old, who can play as a winger, attacking midfielder or centre-forward, should star for Man Utd week in and week out.

Gary Neville praises Man Utd forward Matheus Cunha

Neville said on The Overlap: “I love Cunha. I love Cunha.

“I think, to me, if he is not a Man Utd player…

“He has just got balls.

“He just takes the ball.

“He might give it away, he might even get it taken off him quite a lot, but he keeps going.”

Neville comments about Cunha, who joined Man Utd from Wolves in the summer of 2025 for £62.5million, in the build-up to the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Man Utd will take on Manchester City at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Cunha could start on the left wing for Man Utd if manager Carrick decides to use Benjamin Sesko as the number nine.

Mainoo is also likely to start in central midfield against Man City.

The 21-year-old has been a regular for Man Utd this season, with former Red Devils midfielder Owen Hargreaves backing the England international to become a “superstar”.

Neville, though, believes that Mainoo does not look like the player he was last season when playing alongside Casemiro, who left Old Trafford at the end of last season.

Gary Neville raises doubts over Kobbie Mainoo

The pundit said: “He is a very good football player.

“I think that, I must admit when I saw him playing with Casemiro last season, I thought okay, they were in sync with each other.

“They understood each other.

“There was a level of thinking.

“I think Kobbie Mainoo right now when I am watching I think he’s doing well, but I still don’t think the right person’s alongside him.

“He was better with Casemiro, I think, last season.

“Casemiro obviously, his legs had gone a little bit, but just Casemiro, you could tell had been an incredible world-class player.

“Them two, the way we used to play with each other, pass with each other, combine with each other.

“For me, I thought, okay, he’s a top player, he is a top player, but I am not sure now when I watch him, and I watch Utd, particularly the defensive side of things, that I am seeing him with Tielemans and thinking, okay, that looks right, and when he played with Santos, I thought, not sure that looks right yet.

“So, I think he stills needs the partner, and I do think it happens.

“If you put Roy Keane with Juan Sebastian Veron, didn’t quite ever work that well, they were both like amazing players.

“If you put Roy Keane with Paul Scholes, it was amazing.

“If you don’t have the right partners, sometimes it can just not look right.

“So, I think Kobbie’s question is what is he, what’s he going to be for Utd this year?

“Is he going to be more of a holding discipline player or if Baleba comes in, is he is going to be one that goes forward a little bit more?

“So, I think there are still question marks over him because he’s young and he’s still not sort of developed properly, but he’s an excellent player, he’s an excellent player.”