Matheus Cunha is set to return for Manchester United for the upcoming clash against West Ham.
The Brazilian playmaker has been sorely missed by Manchester United in the past two matches against Everton and Crystal Palace.
Without Matheus Cunha’s creativity up front, United have looked much less inspiring in the final third. Particularly against Everton when the Red Devils failed to score past 10 men.
🚨🤕 Man Utd injury update latest ahead of the West Ham match!
- Matheus Cunha: BACK 🙌
- Benjamin Sesko: OUT 😔
- Harry Maguire: OUT 😔
- Unnamed Man Utd player: DOUBT 🤨
- Unnamed Man Utd player: DOUBT 🤨
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
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Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Cunha is available to face West Ham on Thursday evening after recovering from his injury.
However, the United boss also spoke about Cunha’s struggles he has faced since making his £62.5m switch in the summer.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty ImagesRuben Amorim opens up on why Matheus Cunha was ‘struggling’
Most fans will argue that Cunha has been a major success at United, but his statistics don’t suggest so.
On paper, Cunha has only scored one goal in 11 appearances, and he is yet to pick up his first assist. Anyone who has watched United’s new No.10, though, knows he adds so much more than just goal contributions.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Amorim explained that Cunha was being impacted by abuse and self-criticism over his lack of output.
Matheus Cunha or Mason Mount – Who should start vs West Ham?
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“I think he has more levels to go. He is in a different club with different pressure but I think he is coping really well,” Amorim said.
“He was struggling because he was not scoring and because of social media abuse he was thinking too much about the numbers.
“But the influence he has in the team is so important for us. I think Cunha has so much space to grow, defensively and offensively.”
Matheus Cunha can learn from Matthijs de Ligt improvement
Amorim made it clear that Cunha has had his struggles since joining United, but it is in those moments he needs support from staff and teammates.
Matthijs de Ligt has become United’s best defender this season, playing every available minute of the 2025/26 campaign and emerging as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
Like Cunha, De Ligt took time to adapt to playing for United, stressing the pressure and expectation that comes with being a United player.
But De Ligt has stopped being overly critical of his own performances and mistakes. In an interview in October, the Dutch defender said: “I’ve become a little bit more soft because sometimes I was too critical and it didn’t help me much.”
That one change has helped De Ligt ease the pressure on his performances and elevate to a new level at United – Cunha can do the same if he takes a leaf out of his teammate’s book.
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