Matheus Cunha missed Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Brentford because of a hip flexor but was pictured back in first-team training on Thursday, leaving the club to make a late fitness call before Sunday’s match with Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The striker’s absence at Brentford was felt in Monday’s victory: Cunha did not travel with the squad and Luke Shaw was substituted in the middle of the second half after taking a knock. With just days to go before the Old Trafford showdown — a match that currently leaves United three points clear of Liverpool — Cunha’s availability has moved from routine team news into a potential match-defining issue.
On Friday, manager Michael Carrick said the club had seen Cunha do some work and that they were hopeful about his fitness, while stressing there was still uncertainty over Shaw’s readiness. Carrick framed both situations cautiously, telling reporters the squad were in good shape but that, in Shaw’s case, they were not yet sure he would be ready for Sunday.
Those mixed signals are part of United’s selection headache. Matthijs de Ligt remains out because of a long-term back problem, a separate absence that limits defensive options. At the same time, Patrick Dorgu could be in line to play after returning to the matchday squad against Brentford for the first time since January, giving Carrick at least one fresh option on the bench if others fail to clear fitness tests.
The stakes are obvious: a win at Old Trafford would be worth three points and extend United’s margin over Liverpool. Pundit Paul Merson has argued that United will need Cunha back in the lineup for the game, saying the forward has stood out this season and deserved more credit — he had wondered whether Cunha could replicate the form shown at Wolves after joining United, but declared that Cunha has been excellent, and added that Bruno Fernandes has also played very well this season.
That outside assessment underlines why the club have been cautious in public. Carrick’s description of Cunha’s limited work in training and the decision to photograph him with the first team on Thursday amount to a guarded confidence rather than a clearance. The manager’s exact words stressed hope rather than certainty, a distinction that will matter when the team sheet goes in.
Manchester United’s defensive depth remains a separate tension. De Ligt’s ongoing back issue keeps him sidelined, and Shaw’s knock — forced him off in the second half against Brentford — leaves another question mark. Carrick made clear on Friday that Shaw was still uncertain for Liverpool despite optimism, which increases the importance of whoever is fit to start on Sunday and of late decisions around players who have trained this week.
Liverpool will not be at full strength either. Their manager, Arne Slot, said on Friday that Mohamed Salah would be unavailable and that the club would make a late call on goalkeeper Alisson, a pair of absences and uncertainties that mirror United’s own fitness questions and raise the prospect of a match decided by who can field the healthiest XI.
The immediate next act is simple: training sessions and fitness checks over the final 48 hours will determine whether Cunha, Shaw or Dorgu are involved on Sunday. Carrick’s public posture — hopeful but noncommittal — suggests United will only confirm starters at the last possible moment. If Cunha is fit, United get their in-form forward back; if he is not, they will have to find another way to protect their three-point cushion at Old Trafford.
