Matheus Cunha has explained perfectly why he will not be fazed by the intense pressure that comes with playing for Manchester United.
The exciting forward completed his move from Wolves on Thursday and, while appreciating the glare that goes with the territory at Old Trafford burns brightly, it is not a situation he is unaccustomed to.
Armed with the experience of also playing in Switzerland, Germany and Spain, plus performing to a high level in the Premier League, he has pointed to the fact he plays for soccer-crazy Brazil, one of the biggest footballing nations in the world, as an indicator of how he deals with the attention and huge demands.
During our exclusive interview with former Reds striker Danny Webber, Cunha was asked whether he welcomed the massive worldwide pressure that comes with representing the Reds.
“Yeah, I’m so free from that, honestly,
“ he asserted. ”
I think I’m grateful to be part of the biggest national team in the world.
“The pressure there is huge also and I learned a lot. I think in the beginning, it was a little bit difficult, in parts for me.
”To be honest, sometimes I don’t think I managed well and, yeah, like I say, I learn from the mistakes also. I don’t think they’re mistakes, I think it’s normal, it’s learning, and to come here now, I think it is the best moment in my life to also feel open for these kind of details.”
Cunha made his first appearances under new Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti recently, and provided the assist for Vinicius Jnr in the 1-0 win over Paraguay that sealed qualification for next year's World Cup finals.
Playing for the vastly experienced Italian and our head coach Ruben Amorim is something that enchants the 26-year-old.
“You know, to have like a big coach around you to teach you, show you the way to go, of course, it is always easier and I’m so excited,”
he added. “And, yeah, I’m so grateful to have Ruben with me day by day and, of course, Ancelotti when I go to the national team.
”I think he [Ruben] is very important [reason] to bring me here. I really believe in him. Everything that he did in Portugal, like I say, I hope he can conquer the world, like he did in Portugal.
“But, of course, I think he needs the players who can do everything, like I’m open to doing, and help the team and help him.
”All the conversations we have had made my decision easier.”
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