Cunha's Injury Update and United's Pre-Season Challenges

Cunha scare eases but Mount, Sesko and De Ligt remain doubts as United count cost of pre-season

Manchester United’s pre-season ended with defeat to AC Milan and a growing sense that Michael Carrick will have to juggle his resources when the real stuff starts.

The 2-0 loss itself will be quickly forgotten. The bodies missing – and those still on the mend – will not.

Carrick travelled without several senior players and, for a brief moment in Dublin, it looked like the list might grow. Matheus Cunha went down, the medical team sprinted on, and United held their breath.

He got up. He carried on. And that, for Carrick, was the best result of the night.

Cunha should make Hull opener

Injury: Knock
Possible return: Hull (August 22)

Cunha needed treatment against Milan but played on until just after the hour mark and showed no sign of discomfort once back on his feet. There was no limp, no strapping, no sign of a player in trouble.

United are treating it as exactly what it looked like: a knock, nothing more. Barring any late reaction in training, the Brazilian forward is expected to be available for the Premier League opener at Hull City on August 22.

Given how sharp he has looked this summer, that matters.

De Ligt back on the grass but no date set

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 working his way back.

There is one clear positive: he is training on grass again and travelled with the squad to the Republic of Ireland for this week’s camp. He is back in the group environment, back around the sessions.

What he does not have yet is a return date. United are being cautious with a key defender who has already lost a chunk of his first season. Hull will come too soon and, for now, his comeback remains open-ended.

Heaton facing weeks out

Injury: Hamstring
Possible return: Everton (September 6)

Tom Heaton’s injury against PSG in Gothenburg initially looked routine. He came off, Dermot Mee came on, and there was no immediate alarm.

The scans told a different story. As revealed in Notebook, the hamstring problem is more serious than first thought and the veteran goalkeeper is expected to spend at least a few weeks on the sidelines.

The working hope is that he could be back around the time United face Everton on September 6, but that will depend on how he responds to treatment.

Mount unlikely to start at Hull

Injury: Foot
Possible return: Hull (August 22)

When Mason Mount walked off less than 20 minutes into the PSG game, fear spread quickly. A key summer signing, leaving early, with a foot problem.

Those fears eased when he left the stadium later that night without a limp. The relief was real, but the issue has still cost him game time.

Mount has since missed friendlies against Leeds and AC Milan and, with United’s pre-season now over, he goes into the new campaign short of minutes. That makes a starting place at Hull unlikely.

United still hope he will be fit enough to make the squad for the opener. Whether Carrick risks him from the first whistle is another matter.

Sesko still short, Mbeumo set to lead the line

Injury: Shin
Possible return: Ipswich (August 30)

Benjamin Sesko’s shin injury, picked up in the win over Liverpool in early May, continues to drag on. The plan, as outlined in Notebook earlier in the summer, was for the Slovenian striker to feature in one of the final pre-season games.

That did not happen. His absence from the squad against Milan confirmed that target had been missed and underlined how far off match sharpness he still is.

With Sesko having gone so long without playing, Bryan Mbeumo is virtually guaranteed to start at Hull. For Sesko, a place in the squad for the trip to Ipswich on August 30 now looks like a more realistic short-term aim.

Ugarte faces the long road back

Injury: Knee ligament
Possible return: 2027

Manuel Ugarte’s situation is the most brutal of all. The midfielder suffered serious knee ligament damage during Uruguay’s World Cup defeat to Spain in June and had to be taken off on a stretcher.

He later described it as “the most serious injury a footballer can face” and admitted the pain of not being able to stay on the pitch in such a huge game will stay with him for life. He also spoke of “hitting rock bottom” and using that to come back stronger, insisting that success is about starting again every time you fall.

For United, the reality is stark. Ugarte is not expected back until 2027. Any plans involving him belong to the long term, not this season.

Darlow yet to feature

Injury: Unknown
Possible return: Unknown

Karl Darlow has been managing a pre-existing issue since signing for United. The club do not consider it serious, but it has been enough to keep him out of every pre-season squad.

United have not put a public timeframe on his return, and with other priorities dominating the medical room, his situation remains one to quietly monitor rather than panic over.

The countdown to Hull has started. Carrick knows who he can definitely not call on. Over the next few days, he will discover who is truly ready to run out at the MKM Stadium and who must wait their turn.