Why Matheus Cunha is not playing for Manchester United against Brentford tonight | OneFootball

Red Devils without key goalscoring forward for crunch fixture in race to qualify for Europe

Manchester United have been handed a fresh injury blow as Matheus Cunha was left off the team-sheet for face Brentford at Old Trafford this evening.

The Bees’ visit to Manchester has huge implications for the title race. United can consolidate their hold on third place in the table with a win, while Brentford can climb up to sixth if they take all three points.

But Michael Carrick’s side found themselves disadvantaged before kick-off as Cunha did not arrive at the stadium with his team-mates.

And speaking to Sky Sports ahead of kick-off, Carrick confirmed he had picked up a minor injury in last week’s defeat of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

He explained: “(Cunha) just had a bit of a sore hip flexor after the Chelsea game the other day. He was looking promising during the week, so we thought he might have been OK, but he just didn’t quite recover quick enough.

Cunha now finds himself in a race against time to be passed fit for Sunday, when United host Liverpool in another match which stands to shake up the standings in the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

It was not all bad news on the day for United, though, as Patrick Dorgu and Harry Maguire returned from injury and suspension, respectively, to make the matchday squad.

Cunha has enjoyed a fantastic first season with United, who he joined from Wolves last summer. He has tallied eight goals and two assists in 30 Premier League appearances, also scoring the decisive goal as the Red Devils sank Chelsea last time out.