Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that Matheus Cunha will again be missing when the Red Devils face Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Cunha was absent against Everton on Monday after suffering a knock to his head during a training session, but there was hope that he would be able to recover in time for the Premier League fixture at Sehurst Park this weekend.
Amorim, though, has ruled the Brazil international out of the fixture, with his return instead potentially coming against West Ham United next week.
Harry Maguire is also still absent with the muscular problem that forced him off against Tottenham Hotspur before the November international break, while Benjamin Sesko is recovering from the knee issue that he suffered in the same match.
Amorim admitted that Sesko's issue is more serious than first feared and will require greater recovery time, suggesting that the Slovenia international may be facing a battle to return to the field before the end of the year.
© Imago / Sportsphoto
Cunha, Maguire, Sesko missing for Man United vs. Palace
"Sesko a little bit more time. Harry (Maguire) the same. Matheus the next one, not this one," Amorim told reporters during Friday's press conference.
Man United struggled against Everton on Monday night, suffering a 1-0 defeat to the 10-man Toffees, with the result leaving them down in 10th spot in the Premier League table.
"It is the same thing we had to win every game all the time last year and we took criticism because we are not winning. There is no excuses. If I look at the game we should have more points. We lost control. We should have more points and that is disappointing," Amorim added when questioned on the loss to Everton.
"It was a tough week as it should be. But the process needs to continue and we need to go for the next game.
"If you look at the game we could play better. We should have won that game, we have to feel that urgency. If we know that, we need to do everything in the right way."
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Man United have struggled away from home this season
Man United have only won one of their six away Premier League matches this season, and when questioned on their form on the road, Amorim responded: "The same things that we need to do to show to the players why we lost control at Forest and Spurs.
"Those games were there to win. When we play at home the intensity is higher but in this game it wasn't. It is hard to point at one thing. We have advantage in the away games.
"We need time to improve the characteristics of the team. We should have had enough to play against ten men. It is these characteristics we will try to change.
"I don't know how you read data on Palace players, you can't compare. Sometimes you want to change it a lot. Most of the time I put Amad [Diallo] on the right but he moves a lot. They are doing the things really well. They play in transition more than us. All of these we have to look at. But in all of the positions we can do so much better."
Man United have lost three of their last four matches against Palace, while they have not been victorious at Selhurst Park in the Premier League since July 2020.