Manchester United handed injury boost ahead of Liverpool clash

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Image Credits: Imago ImagesSunday’s meeting between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford carries the kind of weight that few Premier League fixtures can genuinely claim.The most decorated rivalry in English football history, a game that has decided titles, shaped seasons, and defined eras, now arrives loaded with Champions League qualification stakes, managerial legacies, and the backdrop of a summer that will reshape both clubs in profound ways.For United, it represents the chance to seal European football with three games to spare.For Liverpool, it is a must-win if Arne Slot’s side are to pull level on points with their oldest rivals and keep their own top-four destiny firmly in their hands.The head-to-head history between these sides in the Premier League era adds further electricity to the occasion.United lead the all-time Premier League series, and the Reds of Old Trafford will carry the confidence of having already beaten Liverpool this season — a 2-1 victory at Anfield in the reverse fixture where Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock inside the first minute before Harry Maguire headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross late on to seal a famous win on Merseyside.A second victory over Liverpool in the same league season would be a significant statement from Michael Carrick’s rapidly improving side.Carrick, appointed on a six-month interim contract in January, has transformed United’s fortunes.His record of nine wins and two draws from 13 matches is extraordinary for a man who inherited a side mired in dysfunction under Ruben Amorim’s ill-fitting system.Bruno Fernandes, restored to the number ten role, is having arguably the finest season of his United career and stands just one assist short of equalling the all-time Premier League single-season record of 20, held jointly by Thierry Henry in 2002-03 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20.United sit third in the table, three points clear of fourth-placed Liverpool and 11 ahead of Brighton in sixth.Into that context comes a timely injury boost.Matheus Cunha, who had been a doubt for Sunday after missing the 2-1 win over Brentford with a hip flexor problem, returned to full group training on Thursday.Carrick confirmed at his pre-match press conference that the Brazilian, who scored the winner against Chelsea in his last appearance before the Brentford game, is in contention. ”Matheus has done a little bit of work, we’re not sure, hopeful,” the United head coach said.Carrick additionally suggested the squad were “in good shape,” with only Matthijs de Ligt remaining a confirmed absentee through his long-term back issue and Lisandro Martinez serving the final game of his three-match suspension.Depending on results involving Brighton and Bournemouth before kick-off, United may have already secured Champions League football by the time the players emerge from the tunnel — though beating Liverpool would confirm it beyond any doubt and hand Carrick’s permanent appointment an enormous boost.Liverpool arrive at Old Trafford navigating their own injury concerns, with Mohamed Salah still sidelined after picking up a minor hamstring issue in last week’s win over Crystal Palace. Arne Slot confirmed on Friday that the Egyptian will not be involved on Sunday, though the news that his muscle problem is minor and that he is expected back before the end of the season has provided significant relief — both for Liverpool and for a fanbase desperate to give their departing icon the send-off he deserves.Salah confirmed last month that he will leave the club this summer when his contract expires, bringing the curtain down on nine extraordinary years at Anfield.The timing of his absence stings particularly hard given the venue.Old Trafford has been one of Salah’s most productive hunting grounds throughout his Liverpool career, and the ground holds a special place in the story of his time at the club.He has scored 10 goals and assisted 3 in nine appearaces at Old Trafford, each goal carrying the particular savagery that comes with silencing one of football’s great cauldrons.The sight of Salah wheeling away in celebration in front of a furious home end has become one of the defining images of this era of the rivalry.That he will watch Sunday’s game from afar, rather than adding another chapter to that story, is one of the defining footnotes of a season that has denied him so many of the moments he deserved.For Liverpool, the urgency could not be greater.A defeat leaves the top four in others’ hands.Everything is on the line at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.