Matheus Cunha & Luke Shaw are among Manchester United's injured playersplaceholder image
Matheus Cunha & Luke Shaw are among Manchester United's injured players | Getty Images
The latest Manchester United team news ahead of their match against Liverpool - including updates on Matheus Cunha and Luke Shaw.
Should Manchester United beat old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, then they will guarantee a place in next season's Champions League – but their hopes of victory could rest on the availability of several key players who may be absent due to injury issues.
Matheus Cunha was an unexpected absentee for Monday evening’s win over Brentford, while key defenders Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt are nursing injuries as well, restricting Michael Carrick’s options ahead of a massive match which could also influence his chances of getting the manager’s job on a full-time basis at a time when reports suggest that the club are in early talks with Andoni Iraola.
With kick-off not far away, we’ve collected all of the latest Manchester United team news and injury updates below, along with our prediction for Carrick’s starting line-up for Sunday.
Will Matheus Cunha be fit to face Liverpool this weekend?
The Brazilian forward missed Monday’s match due to what Carrick described as a “a bit of a sore hip flexor after the Chelsea game,” and has been widely reported as a doubt for Sunday’s match – but all indications suggest that Cunha will be able to play.
Cunha was reportedly close to being involved against Brentford, with Carrick telling the press that he had looked “promising” ahead of that match, but the 26-year-old, who has scored eight goals in 32 games since signing from Wolves last summer, ultimately “didn’t quite recover quick enough.”
The forward has confirmed that he was back in full training via a social media post on Thursday, further increasing the likelihood that he plays at least some part against Liverpool. He is expected to face a late fitness test, but also to pass it as it stands.
That could see Cunha return to the starting line-up ahead of Amad Diallo, who had a bad night in front of goal on Monday – Benjamin Šeško is likely to start at centre-forward again after scoring his first goal in four games.
Shaw, De Ligt & Martínez among potential Manchester United absentees
While Cunha seems likely to play, Manchester United also have several injury issues in defence, with fresh concern of the availability of Shaw after he hobbled off with a knock in the second half against Brentford.
Shaw, who has made more appearances for United this season that in any previous campaign, required treatment on the pitch before leaving with an apparent limp. Neither Carrick nor the club have yet provided any information on the nature of the issue, making it unclear whether it will be serious enough to rule him out of Sunday’s match.
If he is unavailable, he will be joined by centre-halves De Ligt and Lisandro Martínez. The former is still rehabilitating after a back injury and has yet to return to full training – it is not yet certain whether the Dutchman will play for United before the World Cup.
Martínez, meanwhile, is set to serve the final game of the three-match suspension he is serving following his red card against Leeds United in April. He will be able to return to the line-up to face Sunderland next weekend.
Manchester United predicted line-up vs. Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dorgu, Heaven, Maguire, Mazraoui; Mainoo, Casemiro; Cunha, Fernandes, Mbeumo; Šeško.
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