Manchester United’s £62m star looks like the best player ‘since Fergie retired’

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United dynasty sank like a lead balloon after the legendary manager called it quits in 2013.

Nothing can take away the incredible and unparalleled success the Scottish player has had over the years at the Theater of Dreams, but United have never been the same since then and continue to chase their first Premier League and Champions League titles in this post-Fergie world.

Sir Alex, a revolutionary and one of the greatest managers in the history of football, will have been one to grin when the final whistle rang at Anfield on Sunday night, confirming that the Red Devils had beaten Liverpool in their own backyard.

Ruben Amorim has struggled since replacing Erik ten Hag in 2024, but this was an incredible achievement as summer signings came together and performed well on Merseyside.

This new crop of talent may just have the minerals to turn things around at Old Trafford, and if United want to return to anything outside of their former glories, they will need to start having consistent transfer success, much like Ferguson did in his prime.

Fergie’s ranking of Man United’s greatest signings

How could you start anywhere other than Cristiano Ronaldo? One of the world’s greatest players, CR7 joined as a boy from Sporting Lisbon in 2004 for a fee of £12m and went on to become a superstar, winning the Ballon d’Or before being approached by Real Madrid and leaving for a record fee.

The Portuguese legend, who found his first success during an incredible career that saw him play 346 games, score 145 goals, win the Premier League three times and win the Champions League, was shaped by Ferguson, whom he hails as the ‘father of football’.

However, Ronaldo did not match the degree of success that Ferguson had in the transfer market. Eric Cantona deserves a mention. The combative forward, signed for a whopping £1.2 million from Leeds United, has such strength, style and on-field flamboyance that he will become one of the most influential signings in Premier League history.

And Wayne Rooney, perhaps the club’s greatest player of the Premier League era, is a further example of Sir Alex and his coaching staff’s talent radar and obsession with securing their quarry, having plucked him from Everton for around £26 million when he was just 18 years old. Of course, the rest is history.

The list is endless and will probably make for disappointing reading for those of United’s persuasion. That’s because such deals have been few and far between over the past decade.

There were one or two people though. Bruno Fernandes is arguably the best businessman United have had in a long time, and many of Man United’s best teams of the past would have had a place for the Portuguese Magnifico.

But INEOS have faced their fair share of criticism since Sir Jim Ratcliffe first took over at Old Trafford, but this summer they may have made what could be their best signing since those halcyon days.

Manchester United’s potential ‘all-timer’

Manchester United supporters have been treated to some of the best players the Premier League has ever hosted, but there’s no denying that despite their staggering spending over the past decade, very few players have managed to punch their weight.

Well, perhaps that’s about to change now. Amorim’s side put in a decent performance to keep Liverpool in their own half, with goals from Brian Mbeumo and Harry Maguire.

And while he awaits his first goal in a United shirt, Matheus Cunha looks every bit like the superstar deal he promised when he joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £62.5m in July.

He worked like a dog, making six recoveries, winning five duels and converting both dribble attempts, according to SofaScore.

Given that the 26-year-old Cunha’s work rate has been questioned at times during his career at Molineux, it’s safe to say he’s looking to quash those claims now that he’s arrived at his dream club, and there has been little, if any, sign of such hesitation or reluctance this term.

Seven games into his Premier League career with United, Cunha is still on form. This is something he will hope to rectify quickly, but it is perhaps a measure of Cunha’s quality that he has not faced criticism from other big-money players in the Premier League this season.

The main reason for this is that the Brazilian forward has been playing with vigor and clarity, and given that he ranks in the top 8% of his position across Europe for non-penalty goals scored per 90 over the past 12 months, it’s surely only a matter of time before he finds his form in front of goal.

This was accepted by those involved in the Old Trafford persuasion, with writer Wayne Burton claiming he had the “potential to be an all-time player” and had the quality to be “the best player since Fergie retired”.

There’s definitely something nostalgic about seeing Cunha so excited in the final third. When he starts adding goals to his games, and will continue to do so, the smooth striker could find himself stepping up as Man United’s main man.

Fergie’s best work since retiring? It’s too early to say. But as Amorim’s project takes off, there is no doubt that he has talent and a desire to reach those elusive heights.