Manchester United’s highly rated youngster Amir Ibragimov has discussed his special relationship with Matheus Cunha, revealing details of a tough training-ground exchange between them.
Ibragimov’s revelation
Regarded as one of the best prospects in Manchester United’s youth setup, Ibragimov has been identified as a future star and has frequently trained with the senior squad.
He spoke to club media and shared how tough those sessions can be, particularly describing an incident between him and Cunha.
Ibragimov said, “Bruno [Fernandes] was really helpful, but recently, me and Cunha had a really good connection.”
“Like, he helped me a lot because, coming to train with the first team, they are aggressive with you. It’s like, because we’re young, that doesn’t mean they have to let us off, which I think is really good. As soon as I came in, it was straight into tackles, like they don’t care how old you are, which, again, I think is really good.”
“As soon as I went down, which was a foul but they don’t give fouls much [in training] and the coaches just tell you to get on with it. And then Cunha said to me, as soon as I got fouled, ‘next time, I do not want to hear you at all. I want you to get up and carry on.'”
Ibragimov continued, “And you know what? Next time I got fouled, I got up straight away and the ball just came to me straight back. And then I scored! He said ‘see, this is exactly what I mean.'”
“Then, after that, he was just like talking to me and saying ‘as long as you listen and as long as you [learn]’. He said ‘if I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have helped you.’ So I think Cunha, I’ve had a really good connection with him. He’s a really good guy.”
High-stakes clash
United are next in action on Sunday when they face Leeds United at Elland Road.
Beyond the old rivalry, it’s a crucial game for Michael Carrick as pressure mounts on him. Manchester United have endured a tough start to the season, amassing just six points from their opening six games.
A defeat would make it difficult for Carrick to recover, given that patience in him and his coaching staff is wearing thin.
Leeds vs. United kicks off at 2 pm.
Featured image Ben Roberts photo via Getty Images
