Cunha, who joined United from Wolves in a £62 million summer transfer, has featured in all three of the club’s Premier League games this season. ..Continue Reading
However, the Brazilian forward was forced off the pitch before the 30-minute mark in the Burnley match, prompting concern from manager Ruben Amorim. Joshua Zirkzee came on as his replacement, while Mason Mount also exited at halftime due to injury.
Despite initial worries, there was a more positive outlook later that day. Cunha was seen walking unaided as he left the stadium and later posted on social media that he would be “back soon.” He also shared a video of himself training in the gym on Sunday, indicating steady progress in his recovery.
United face a crucial derby against Manchester City at the Etihad this weekend, followed by a home clash with Chelsea. Amorim is eager to have Cunha fit and available for these high-stakes encounters.
Injury setbacks have not been limited to United. Manchester City will be without Rayan Cherki for up to two months due to a thigh issue, while Omar Marmoush has also picked up a knock.
Chelsea’s Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury during their win over Fulham and is expected to be sidelined for around 10 weeks, suggesting a grade 2 strain.
Unlike Delap, Cunha did not require hospital treatment, which points to a less severe injury and a potentially quicker return to action.
Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare & performance analytics working with the Premier League, 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.’
A grade 1 hamstring injury could still see a player ruled out for two to three weeks.
‘A grade 1 injury is generally where there is pain and swelling but no or minimum fiber disruption,’ Smith explained. ‘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.’
After picking up the injury, Cunha was withdrawn from the Brazil squad for their World Cup qualifiers, remaining in Manchester to begin recovery work.
‘United absolutely had to keep him in Manchester during the international break, there is no point putting a guy on a plane going away that far when you know he is not going to be able to participate,’ Smith said.
‘Getting him straight into rehabilitation mode at Carrington will have been really important.
‘They obviously want him to play a really important role this season. It ensures they can immediately begin work on the rehab side of things but also on his game knowledge, the understanding of what they are trying to do tactically and technically. They will want to continue working on that face to face.’
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