Matheus Cunha had no right to start vs Hull and it showed | OneFootball

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Manchester United were swept aside by newly-promoted Hull City 0-2 at the MKM Stadium on Saturday.

It was a game to forget for the new midfield duo of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, as the home side ran riot and attacked at will.

An injury to Amad forced Michael Carrick to play Bryan Mbeumo out wide on the right, while he chose to start Matheus Cunha up top.

The selection call made very little sense. The Cameroonian has shown he is at his best when playing as the focal point of the attack.

Matheus Cunha was a liability

The Brazilian looked well off the pace and he kept drifting all across the frontline instead of holding his position.

All this can work when United are the home side and are looking to break down a deep defence. But away from home, the Red Devils needed someone who can hold the ball and bring others into play.

match stats 

The former Wolves star‘s refusal to stay high meant United had nobody up front. Carrick’s call to shift him out to the right also did little for United’s attacking play.

Matheus Cunha failed to find a teammate with any of his three crosses, while he failed to complete a single dribble.

Off the ball struggles

The biggest disappointment was the 27-year-old’s performance without the ball. Normally, such an energetic presence, but on Saturday, the Hull players made him look ordinary.

He lost 86 per cent of all his duels, and made 0 tackles and interceptions. The attacker was also dribbled past once (all stats via sofascore).

Eventually, the head coach was fed up and he opted to bring on Shea Lacey in the Brazilian international‘s place.

Matheus Cunha clearly is not fully fit, a theme across United’s squad. He needs time and a super sub role fits him best at this point.

But with Benjamin Sesko in the same boat, and both Mason Mount and Amad injured, Carrick might have little choice but to keep playing him.