MATHEUS CUNHA hopes he can bring the spirit of Wayne Rooney back to Manchester United.
The £62.5million Brazilian new boy admitted he has always idolised the Red Devils team which won the Champions League back in 2008.
That was around the time United became Cunha’s favourite club.
He watched them every week on the television at his grandma’s before going outside and playing on his own version of Old Trafford.
And of all the star names in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad back then, it was former England captain Roo who stood out the most for the boy from Brazil.
Cunha, 26, saw some qualities in his new club’s 253-goal all-time leading scorer that he could relate to — and hopes he can bring to the modern-day squad.
The former Wolves and Atletico Madrid forward said: “I remember the whole squad at the time that I started to watch.
“I liked Rooney at the front. Wow! He is someone I have a lot of similar things in my game, as I always give everything.
“He was the No. 10, I remember it on his shirt and everyone loved the skills of the player — but he always brought more.
“He would slide tackle to try to take the ball, this kind of energy inside of him was a big example.”
It may be 17 years ago but Cunha can still name most of the players who helped United overcome Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in Moscow after the Champions League final finished 1-1 after extra-time.
He said: “Of course, I can mention a lot of the players.
“Cristiano Ronaldo — everyone knows him, it is easy to talk about him. But Ryan Giggs as well.
“I can imagine the team now — it started with Edwin van der Sar in the goal, Rio Ferdinand with Nemanja Vidic the defenders. Paul Scholes, wow, Michael Carrick.
“That team had a big impact on my teenage years.”
Cunha’s performances at Molineux and his 17 goals for Wolves last season made him one of the hottest properties in the Premier League this summer.
United might be a hard sell to some players after the dismal season they have just endured.
There will be no European football next term after they limped home in 15th place with just 42 points — their lowest-ever total in Premier League history.
But after following the club since he was a boy growing up in Joao Pessoa the chance to put on the famous red shirt at the real Theatre of Dreams was an opportunity he could not turn down.
Cunha added: “Maybe outside people don’t understand my decision.
“But when you have always dreamed to play here, it’s easier to come to this decision.
“It’s hard to explain but for me, no one else is like United.
“I know it’s been a hard season for everyone, so my decision shows what this club is to me and what I believe this club can be.”
Recalling how he first fell in love with the Red Devils, he revealed: “My house didn’t have the channel to watch the Premier League and my cousin’s house didn’t have it either.
“He’s older than me and supports United — he showed me the way to start watching the Premier League and the need to support United. We could only watch the Premier League at my grandma’s house, so we organised to go every weekend.
“When we played together in the street, on the beach, on the gravel, we called those pitches Old Trafford.
“So, wow, it’s so hard to be here now thinking about the past — it’s very emotional for me.
“It’s the most common phrase you can say in this moment but yeah, it’s a dream come true for me.
“It’s my dream team, the team for me.”
In 2017 Cunha hoped his wish of one day playing for the Red Devils was about to come true when he competed against them for Coritiba in the youth team tournament the Dallas Cup.
He said: “One of the directors at Coritiba said a director from United had asked about me.
“I was so excited, imagining a dream when I go to United — but after that the conversations stopped.
“But I think this was the start of my journey. Playing against United was a dream. Wow!”
Eight years later, he has finally got his wish and Cunha believes it is coming at the perfect time for him.
And part of the move is down to manager Amorim who Cunha admitted helped convince him to make the switch.
He said: “I have a lot of faith in him. I hope he succeeds in conquering the world like he did in Portugal.
“I’m here to help the team and help him. All our discussions made my decision easier.”
There have been flashpoints during his 2½ seasons at Molineux — which started with a five-month loan spell in January 2023 — but now is the time to relax, knowing he has realised his ambition.
He added: “It’s the perfect time to come here and now I need to be calm. I’ve learned from my mistakes.
“There is not one player who does not come here and think about the glory days, all the times they won the Premier League.
“I want to put this club on top and do everything to help them conquer these things.”
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