Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha feels interim boss Michael Carrick has the “magic” that can reconnect the club to its trophy-laden Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Cunha scored the opening goal at Old Trafford that set United on their way to the 3-2 win over Liverpool that ensured Champions League qualification with three games to spare.
It is an achievement few felt United were capable of, even though football director Jason Wilcox said a return to Europe’s elite club competition was the aim in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal in January.
Carrick has engineered 10 victories in his 14 games in charge, putting him in pole position to be appointed on a full-time basis.
The 44-year-old was part of the final great United side under Ferguson, winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League.
Cunha feels the connection is crucial.
“I sat on the bench with him,” said Cunha.
“How he teaches everyone is amazing. He has the magic with these Ferguson times. Then he comes and brings it to us, teaches us how it was, to be part of everything. Then he did this.
“It’s amazing. He’s a pleasure. Of course, I think he deserves it.”
Carrick has already made it clear his squad cannot relax just because they have achieved their mission.
They still require four points to be certain of securing a top-three finish for only the fifth time since Ferguson retired in 2013. They could also finish fewer than 12 points behind the eventual champions, which is the closest they have got post-Ferguson, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.
“It’s one of the biggest privileges I have to play at this club,” said Cunha.
“The Champions League without this club is not the same competition, and this club without Champions League is not same club.
“But it is not only the Champions League. We need to fight for the titles. This is the first one [step]. We could come much stronger for next season.”
It will be a summer of change at Old Trafford, not least because Cunha’s Brazilian international team-mate Casemiro is leaving. Or is he?
Casemiro has said he is and Carrick reinforced the point when he spoke to the media on Friday.
But Cunha knows the 34-year-old well. He is not so sure.
“It’s so easy to talk about him,” he said. “I know how important he is.
“He’s an amazing guy. There is a strong part of him outside the pitch. He’s so lovely and so friendly. He teaches me.
“We don’t know in the end how it is with his contract. Of course, everyone hopes there’s a little bit more. I know it’s harder than we talked about, but, in the end, you never know.”
Cunha has made the impact United hoped when they paid Wolves £62.5m last summer, when he was a priority target.
With such a huge personality, it was unlikely joining a club of that size would be too much for the 26-year-old.
His goal against Liverpool was his ninth of the season, including some key ones for Carrick, specifically the winners at Arsenal and Chelsea.
It has given Cunha time to show off his familiar surfing celebration, which reached a new level against Liverpool, when he raced away, pursued by team-mates, dived on the ground and then got up to ‘surf’.
“I’ve improved my celebration a little bit,” he said.
“Every time, my friends in Brazil every time say, ‘you cannot only surf, you have to paddle and stand up on the surfboard’. I said OK, I’ll try to improve.
“It’s part of my life; to bring this into football and show everyone how happy I am to play football and surf. I have to do it.”