Matheus Cunha puts Brazil's No. 9 debate to bed against Haiti

Matheus Cunha scored twice in Brazil's 0-3 win over Haiti in Philadelphia, with goals in the 23rd and 36th minutes sending Brazil into half-time already in control. Vinícius Júnior added the third in first-half stoppage time after a Lucas Paquetá assist. It was the kind of performance that makes Carlo Ancelotti's striker decision look a lot less complicated.

Why Cunha looks like Brazil's best central option

The strongest argument for Cunha is not just the brace, it is the way he played. A Manchester Evening News column said that against Haiti, it became clear Cunha needs and deserves more space to work with, away from the sidelines. That is the clearest reading of his role, and it fits the way Brazil used him here.

The numbers help too. Cunha now has 2 goals in 2 World Cup appearances, and those goals came in just 93 minutes, with a 7.95 average rating across the tournament sample. That is not a long enough sample to crown him for the next decade, but it is enough to say he looks like Brazil's most efficient No. 9 option right now.

Brazilian media were even more direct. One report said he is far from a classic centre forward because he drops into build-up and connects the team's different sectors. Another called him an absolute starter, pointing to the fluidity and movement he added to the attack.

What it means for Manchester United

There is a club angle here as well. Manchester United have used Cunha up front in only 2 of his next 13 matches after a goal against Arsenal, which is a fairly strong hint that he has not yet been treated as a central reference point often enough. The same Manchester Evening News piece argued United would need a creative Brazilian army knife in their front line and suggested he may be the one to unlock defences if trusted to hold the attacking line.

That does not mean United must change everything around him, and it certainly does not make him their confirmed next permanent No. 9. It does, though, make the case for a more central role harder to ignore. He has already shown with Brazil that the best version of his game comes when he has space, can combine, and can arrive in the box at speed.

For now, the immediate story is simpler. Brazil moved to 1st in Group C after the Haiti win, and Cunha has given Ancelotti a striker performance that was hard to overlook. The next call will be whether to keep leaning into him, but the evidence from Philadelphia says the answer should be yes.