Luke Shaw had to be substituted against Brentford. (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United all but sealed their place in next season’s Champions League with a 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday. Michael Carrick’s side took a two-goal advantage at Old Trafford with first-half goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesco.
Matthias Jensen pulled one back for the Bees late on, but it proved to be too little too late as the Red Devils defended well and grabbed the three crucial points. The result cemented United in third place, with an 11-point gap over sixth-placed Brighton with four games remaining.
With the top five teams automatically qualifying for the Champions League, United need just one win to secure a spot in Europe’s top club competition.
But it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing for United. Matheus Cunha was left out of the squad for the day due to fresh concerns, while Luke Shaw was sent off midway through the second half.
With that in mind, Express Sport has compiled the latest injury status and expected return dates for United’s walking injuries.
Matheus Cunha’s absence from the United squad against Brentford was a surprise, as he has been almost a permanent fixture in the starting XI since joining the club. He played the majority of the match and scored the winning goal in the win over Chelsea, but Carrick revealed before kick-off that the Brazilian had felt a slight pain in his hip flexor.
Carrick said: “(Cunha) just felt a bit of a soreness in his hip flexor after the game against Chelsea the other day. He looked promising all week so we thought he might be OK, but he hasn’t recovered enough. It’s not that serious, but unfortunately he won’t be able to play tonight.”
Scheduled return date: May 3rd vs. Liverpool (H)
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Luke Shaw has continued to stay fit this season, making 34 appearances as United’s left-back so far, but was unable to score against Brentford on Monday. He fell to the floor from the ball and limped off in the second half.
Matheus Cunha missed Manchester United’s win against Brentford (Image: Getty Images)
Carrick did not provide an update on Shaw’s status after the match, but more is expected to be revealed later this week ahead of Sunday’s much-anticipated game against Liverpool.
Expected return date: unknown
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Matthijs de Ligt has endured a frustrating season after suffering a back injury in November. The Dutchman has not featured since then, but is slowly approaching a return.
He was photographed training this week and posted the image on Instagram with the caption: “Training hard and getting closer.”
Earlier this month, Carrick spoke about his rehabilitation: “It’s a different treatment, a different practice. He’s been in the gym and working, but he hasn’t been on the grass yet and he’s not ready for it yet.
“Unfortunately, that’s the process you have to go through when you get injured. Sometimes it happens faster than others, sometimes it doesn’t go as planned, sometimes it slows you down a little bit.
“He’s just going through it right now and we’re trying to get him back on track.”
Expected return date: Before the end of the season
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