Manchester United’s first-ever Brazilian player, Kleberson, has backed new signing Matheus Cunha to be a success at Old Trafford.
The 2002 World Cup winner endured a difficult time in his own two-year spell in Manchester, amid stiff competition from a selection of legendary midfielders, though left with an FA Cup winners’ medal in 2004.
Nevertheless, Kleberson paved the way for Brazilians at United, with Cunha the latest, following in the footsteps of Anderson, 2008 UEFA Champions League winner, and the Da Silva twins, as well as Andreas, Alex Telles, Fred, Casemiro and Antony in more recent years.
“It is a big signing for Manchester United,”
Kleberson told The Independent.
“I am really happy to see Matheus Cunha to play for Manchester United. He has really smart moves without the ball. He can make some runs diagonal, he can get it a lot of time in the final third, his potential to grow in the Premier League is long, he can make [the team] much better and United has a tough moment now. They need players like him.”
Discussing the struggles United faced in the 2024/25 campaign and what the current players can do to turn things around in the new season, Kleberson spoke of the mentality he witnessed in his time at the club.
“That’s the thing I want to say again: be hungry to fight and compete and win a game,”
he said.
“It doesn’t matter how you win, like 1-0 or 2-0, but I want those guys who walk on the field, they know what they have to do to win a game and bring the three points back to Carrington.”
Now 45, the 32-time capped Brazilian believes Ruben Amorim has the tools to manage a team with such a mentality.
“I think United trusts a good coach,”
he said.
“Now [the club] has a good manager. He gets the team in the middle of the season, it is not easy to find the team to play the way he wants. I talk to Manchester United fans, a lot are upset about the team. The beginning of the season is really important for United now, they don’t play a tournament like [the Champions League]. They can focus on the beginning of the season.
“They can make it good like pre-season. They can find perfect signings for the club and try to build a good team for 2026.”