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Cunha Injury Update: United Prepare for Hull Opener
Cunha scare eases but Sesko and Mount doubts linger as United count injuries before Hull opener
Manchester United’s pre-season ended with a defeat to AC Milan and a head full of medical notes for Michael Carrick.
The loss itself will be forgotten quickly. The bodies available for Hull City next week will not.
Carrick went into the Milan game already stripped of several senior players. For a brief moment, it looked like that list might grow when Matheus Cunha hit the turf and called for treatment. The Brazilian stayed down long enough to hush the travelling support.
Then he got up, ran it off and played on.
Cunha should make Hull
Injury: Knock
Possible return: Hull, August 22
Cunha required attention from the medical staff but showed no sign of serious damage. He continued until just after the hour mark and left no obvious after-effects of the knock.
Barring any delayed reaction, he is expected to be available for the Premier League opener at Hull. United have plenty of problems. This does not look like one of them.
De Ligt back on the grass, but no date yet
Injury: Back
Possible return: Unknown
Matthijs de Ligt remains the big defensive absentee. The Dutchman has not played for United since November after undergoing back surgery and is still on the long road back.
There is progress. He is training on grass again and travelled with the squad to the Republic of Ireland for this week’s camp, a clear sign he is being reintegrated into the group environment. But there is still no timeline for a competitive return. For now, United must plan without him.
Heaton facing weeks out
Injury: Hamstring
Possible return: Everton, September 6
Tom Heaton’s hamstring problem, picked up against PSG in Gothenburg, has turned out worse than first thought. At the time, his substitution for Dermot Mee drew little concern. The issue looked minor.
Subsequent assessment has painted a different picture. Heaton is expected to spend at least a few weeks on the sidelines and will learn the full extent of the damage in the coming days. United are tentatively working towards a potential return around the trip to Everton on September 6.
Mount unlikely to start at Hull
Injury: Foot
Possible return: Hull, August 22
Mason Mount’s scare against PSG jolted United’s staff and supporters alike. He walked off less than 20 minutes into that game, sparking immediate fears of a serious setback.
Those fears eased when he was later seen leaving the stadium without a limp. The relief, though, has been tempered by his continued absence. Mount has now missed both of United’s final friendlies, against Leeds and AC Milan.
Given that lack of minutes, he looks an outsider to start at Hull. The hope inside the club is that he recovers in time to at least make the matchday squad, but his sharpness will be a concern.
Sesko still sidelined and set to miss opener
Injury: Shin
Possible return: Ipswich, August 30
Benjamin Sesko’s shin injury, sustained in the win over Liverpool in early May, continues to drag on. The internal plan had been for the Slovenian striker to feature in one of the late pre-season fixtures to build rhythm before the league campaign.
That target has slipped. Sesko was not involved against Milan, a clear sign he is not yet ready for match action. With so long since his last appearance, it is hard to see him even making the bench at Hull.
Bryan Mbeumo is effectively locked in to start the opener, with United instead eyeing the Ipswich fixture on August 30 as a more realistic point for Sesko’s return to a competitive squad.
Ugarte’s long road back
Injury: Knee ligament
Possible return: 2027
Manuel Ugarte faces the toughest journey of all. The midfielder suffered a serious knee ligament injury playing for Uruguay in their World Cup defeat to Spain in June, leaving the pitch on a stretcher in what he described as one of the biggest matches in his country’s history.
He later spoke openly about “the most serious injury a footballer can face” and the emotional weight of watching the rest of the game from the sidelines. Ugarte framed it as a personal rock bottom, but also as a moment that will drive him to come back stronger.
The timescale reflects the severity. United are not expecting him back until 2027.
Darlow still waiting for first involvement
Injury: Unknown
Possible return: Unknown
Karl Darlow has yet to feature for United since his arrival, as he continues to work through a pre-existing issue. The problem is not believed to be serious, but it has been significant enough to keep him out of every pre-season squad.
For Carrick, that means another position where continuity has been disrupted on the eve of a new campaign.
United now move towards Hull knowing the shape of their squad is still being defined by the treatment room. How long can they keep pace while key pieces wait to return?
