A temperamental Brazilian flair player, suspended after his latest meltdown: Manchester United may have feared that would be their experience of life with Matheus Cunha. It is, after all, approaching the one-year anniversary of the game that ended with Cunha ripping the glasses off a member of Ipswich Town’s backroom staff; acting in an “improper manner”, the subsequent charge had it, and incurring a two-match ban.
Instead, the Selecao man sidelined when West Ham visit Old Trafford on Thursday is Lucas Paqueta, who ludicrously talked himself into trouble in Sunday’s defeat to Liverpool. Instead of being out, Cunha returns, even if there is still an element of the odd. A knock in training, ruling him out of the matches against Everton and Crystal Palace, first became known when he did not turn up to turn on Altrincham’s Christmas lights.
