Manchester United have issued the latest on Matheus Cunha after the Brazilian star was forced off against Burnley with a hamstring issue.
Rúben Amorim finally secured his first win of the season as Manchester United edged Burnley 3-2 thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes.
United started brightly, Bryan Mbeumo twice going close and penalty appeals waved away before Josh Cullen’s own goal handed the Reds a deserved lead on the half-hour. Matheus Cunha was forced off soon after, replaced by Joshua Zirkzee, but despite sustained pressure, United could not add a second before half-time.
Burnley hit back shortly after the restart when Lyle Foster converted a cross to level, though Mbeumo struck immediately from kick-off to restore United’s advantage. With 25 minutes to play, Jaidon Anthony equalised again, poking home from close range to set up a tense finish.
United poured forward in the closing stages and their persistence paid off in added time when Amad was fouled inside the box. Fernandes stepped up to convert coolly from the spot, clinching a much-needed victory and Amorim’s first three points of the campaign.
United issue Cunha injury update
While the 3-2 win will send waves of positivity through the United fanbase ahead of the international break, Cunha’s injury is a significant concern.
The Brazilian has been United’s most consistently good player across the opening four games of the season, but just before 30 minutes, he was forced off through injury after going down clutching his hamstring.
Further, it looked very worrying and the player was visibly upset as he headed straight down the tunnel with the medical staff, rather than sitting on the bench.
Speaking on Sky, Amorim admitted that it was hard to lose a player like Cunha, and that Mason Mount also suffered an injury but continued to play until he was withdrawn at half-time.
“It was hard to lose Cunha and Mason Mount, because Mason Mount played 30 minutes with an injury,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “I’m concerned about that, because they are so important for us. We will see.”
Speaking further in his press conference, Amorim added: “I don’t know [how they are], I don’t know. We will check them. We need those guys really bad to be really competitive.”
Zirkzee’s return to action is well-timed
If Cunha’s injury is of any significant severity, it’s likely the player could miss more than a month with the issue and is certainly no longer participating in Brazil’s upcoming games.
However, the unexpected and positive performance Zirkzee gave as his replacement on the left-hand side will give Amorim a positive boost as he plans to rejuvenate the squad after just one win in their opening four games of the campaign.
The Dutchman had a very mixed debut season last time out, picking up great form following the turn of 2025 before suffering a hamstring injury himself in April.
United now have Mbeumo, Benjamin Šeško, Amad, Chido Obi, Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo as fluid attacking options, so while Cunha will be sorely missed, there are options to replace him.
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