Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha has dropped a major hint that his injury comeback is going to plan and teased that he might be ready for Sunday's blockbuster clash with Manchester City in the Premier League. United supporters were left fearing the worst before the international break when the Brazilian was substituted during the triumph over Burnley.
It seemed at that moment that Cunha had picked up a hamstring problem, though this wasn't officially confirmed. Additional concern arose when Cunha withdrew from the Brazil squad for the September international fixtures, prompting speculation about whether he would be match-ready for the showdown with City.
Thankfully, throughout the break, Cunha has maintained a positive outlook and has been working intensively in the gym to regain full fitness. On Sunday, Cunha posted on Instagram sharing multiple photographs from his training session, with his evening update potentially suggesting he could feature this weekend.
Looking in excellent form, the 26-year-old captioned the post: "Sunday's," accompanied by a smirking smile emoji. The significance of the message is naturally open to debate.
On one side, it might merely be a reference to the weekday he was exercising. However, the emoji might suggest he is approaching complete fitness once more and that 'Sunday's' encounter against City will mark his comeback to action.
Should this prove accurate, it would provide tremendous encouragement for Ruben Amorim. Cunha has been a key figure in the attack this season, and Amorim will be eager to field his strongest side for the clash at the Etihad Stadium.
In recent years, United have often been seen as the underdogs going into the derby, but they could make a case for being the favourites this time around, given their superior league position at this admittedly early stage of the campaign. Alongside Cunha, Amorim is also hoping for positive updates on the fitness of Mason Mount, Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez ahead of the match.
Martinez has been a long-term injury absence but has returned to training recently. Mount was withdrawn at half-time in the win against Burnley while Dalot pulled out of the Portugal international squad with a muscular issue.