Mason Mount is reborn at Man Utd - so does the bench now beckon for star signing Matheus Cunha?

While Cunha had scored 27 goals and provided 13 assists in the Premier League over the last two seasons for a struggling Wolves, he has been unable to make the step up to United so far. He had an impressive debut against Arsenal and showed flashes against Fulham but the shock defeat at Grimsby, in which he spurned the chance to win the shootout after five penalties when his casually-taken penalty was saved, stunted his progress. 

Just half an hour into the next game at home to Burnley he pulled a muscle and had to be substituted. Amorim blamed the injury on the fact Cunha had played all the minutes at Grimsby. Mount also got injured in that same first half after a promising 45 minutes and Amorim crossed his fingers that neither injury was bad, saying "We need those guys really bad to be really competitive."

The pair missed the heavy defeat to Manchester City, returning as substitutes in the win over Chelsea. Cunha started the miserable defeat at Brentford, with Mount only a late substitute. Even withstanding United’s poor start to the season and their three defeats in seven games, Cunha’s record in the team does not read well. As well as contributing to zero goals, United have not won a game in which he has played 45 minutes or more.

Mount has only one more victory but as United seek a first win at Anfield in 10 seasons against a Liverpool team who are showing their vulnerability, he looks to be the more appealing option.

"If you're a manager you'd love to have him in your team,” former United defender Phil Jones told GOAL, via BetMGM. "I think when you talk about leaders, everyone automatically associates leaders with that powerful voice in the dressing room, you know on the pitch they're waving their arms and kissing the badge and all that sort of stuff. But he leads in other ways, he leads by example on the pitch. He scores goals, he creates chances, assist, but his work ethic, his passion to go and sprint 40 yards to close the ball down [is just as impressive]. He does all the hard work.

"I loved watching him at Chelsea and when we signed him I was thinking, 'what a signing that is, brilliant'. It didn't quite work out for him in the first season. I've been there where you come back from one injury, you get a little another niggle, and it's two weeks out and it's hard to really gather momentum. But I really, really like watching him play. He was terrific against Sunderland the other day, scored the goal, great goal, great touch and finish. 

"And I'm pleased for him personally, because I know probably the thoughts and feelings he had last season, and you know, he's come to a massive club like Man United and just wants to do well and play football. But, yeah, I'm really pleased he's playing well, and he's an important part of the team now."

Mount has been talked of in disparaging terms in the past, of being a ‘teacher’s pet’ who has been favoured by every coach he has had. But since when was doing what your coach wanted you to do a bad thing?

"You trust him," said former United defender Rio Ferdinand. "Pressing, energy, a work ethic, those are the three basics. He could be playing rubbish, a 2/10 with the ball but you're gonna get the other side to him. So if you’re a manager you’d take that, I want the quality and I need the quality but at least if I know I'm definitely gonna get hard work graft, intensity that could feed out to the other team more often than not you're gonna go with that player."

Mount was well liked by Frank Lampard, who got the best out of him during his loan spell at Derby County and at Chelsea, and by Thomas Tuchel, with whom he won the Champions League in 2021 and contributed to 21 goals in the 2021-22 season.

Erik ten Hag was enamoured with Mount when he saw him play for Vitesse against Ajax in 2018 and five years later he jumped at the chance to sign him. Indeed, the coach urged United to pip Liverpool to his signature when Chelsea put him up for sale with one year remaining on his contract. Still, many questioned the £55m fee plus a potential £5m in add-ons United paid to get him. Ten Hag never got to see Mount thrive as injuries limited him to just five league starts in that first season. In his second season it was just eight league starts.

Amorim was impressed with Mount’s determination to turn his Old Trafford career around when he started working with him after succeeding Ten Hag. "Mason Mount… I have to tell you I love that kid," he raved in November. "You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad. And this is the most important thing for me. I know he was suffering from injuries, he was not on the pitch, but now he’s trying to stay fit and we hope he can continue to be fit, to show all the talent that he’s shown in Chelsea." 

But less than a month into Amorim’s tenure Mount sustained an injury against Manchester City in December and did not return until the following April. The midfielder won his coach over again, scoring twice in the Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao. He performed so well that he earned a starting spot in the final against Tottenham at the expense of Alejandro Garnacho. 

The decision backfired for Amorim, who was grilled about it in the press conference following the 1-0 defeat.  That was when he criticised Garnacho, incensing the player and leading to the Argentine giving the fiery interview on Spanish television which led to him being forced out of the club. But it did not affect Amorim’s opinion of Mount. And after the Sunderland win the coach heaped praise on the midfielder. "He can defend really well, he is really smart, he can attack really well," he said.

Mount, perhaps wary of the 'teacher’s pet' reputation, sought to explain that Amorim trusts him because he played in a 3-4-2-1 under Tuchel. "I think I have the experience of playing a similar formation to what he likes as I have played it before in the past," he said. "So knowing the roles and what he wants out of the team resonates with me, because I've done it before. So I think that's something that I obviously understand. I think all the players understand it now, but I think at the beginning, especially, was something that maybe he could lean on me, because I know the positions.

"I see myself as bringing a lot of energy into the team and setting off the press, at times, being a bit of a catalyst going forward. So yeah, that's always something that I focus on helping the people around me and really bringing the energy."

Mount also declared after the Sunderland game that the team "100 percent backed the manager" and insisted they were not affected by the criticism in the media over his loyalty to his system. "No, for us it is just focusing on what the manager wants, and that's in training, and then when it comes to the games, doing exactly what he asked for."

Being a versatile player is something that Mount shares with Cunha, who this week said people are confused about his best position. He told Globo: "It's a burden that came after winning the Olympics with Brazil. And if it means having that burden of becoming a champion, I think it's worth putting up with a little bit of confusion about where I play. I came to the national team with this stereotype of a No. 9. I played my entire youth career as a midfielder, and when I became a professional, I encountered this world of 4-3-3.

"They eliminated the midfielder position, and you have to adapt. But I see it positively, as it has given me experience, many more positions, and even more so in short-term tournaments with the national team. Having a versatile player is a huge help for any coach." Cunha, however, was not brought to United due to his versatility. 

He was signed for his proven track record of scoring goals regularly in the Premier League, of being ready-made for the competition rather than having to adapt like United’s other expensive signings in the past such as Jadon Sancho, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund. He has not been able to continue that habit of scoring or assisting, although he insisted he was "in a spectacular personal moment" and felt "privileged to wear the jersey of the greatest national team in the world, one of the greatest clubs in the world."

The longer Cunha goes without scoring, the more he will start to feel the burden he talked of. As Phil Jones told GOAL, the United jersey is "a heavy shirt to wear". Mount knows that too, but for now it fits him well. Better than Cunha, which is why he is in pole position to start at Anfield.