The 26-year-old, who arrived at Manchester United from Wolves earlier this summer, was forced off the pitch just half an hour into United’s thrilling 3-2 win over Burnley, reportedly due to a hamstring issue. ..Continue Reading
Images from Old Trafford showed Cunha limping off in visible pain, raising concerns for manager Ruben Amorim ahead of the high-stakes derby against Manchester City.
Further worry spread among fans when Cunha was omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia.
However, Cunha has offered a glimmer of hope. Following the Burnley match, he posted a message promising to be “back soon,” and has since been sharing glimpses of his intense gym sessions.
One recent Instagram story showed him hunched over an exercise bike, followed by another update on Sunday night featuring resistance band training.
The post included an hourglass and dynamite emoji, symbols many fans interpreted as a sign that his return is near.
Meanwhile, United are also monitoring Mason Mount’s condition after the England international exited the Burnley match at halftime with an undisclosed injury.
‘It was hard to lose Cunha and Mason Mount, because Mason Mount played 30 minutes with an injury,’ Amorim told Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle.
‘I’m concerned about that, because they are so important for us. We will see.’
At his post-match press conference, the United manager added: ‘I don’t know [how they are], I don’t know. We will check them.
‘We need those guys really bad to be really competitive.’
Cunha has shown flashes of his quality in United’s three opening league games, especially against Arsenal, but is yet to register a goal or assist for his new club.
Asked about Cunha’s injury, Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics working with the Premier League, exclusively told Metro: ‘We are looking at the same body area as Liam Delap.
‘But potentially with what we heard and saw in terms of him [Cunha] being able to move around quite freely as he left the stadium, we would like to think it was a lower grade injury.’
Smith added: ‘A grade 1 injury is generally where there is pain and swelling but no or minimum fiber disruption.
‘So there is a minimal amount of the muscle that has become damaged or inflamed.
‘A grade 2 is there a small amount of fiber disruption so it means the muscle has torn slightly and a grade 3 is a complete rupture.’
Man United have picked up just four points in the Premier League ahead of their clash with City, with Amorim’s side languishing down in ninth place in the table.
Man City have also endured a disappointing start to the campaign and sit 13th after back-to-back defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Brighton.
