Ruben Amorim says Matheus Cunha remains sidelined along with Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko as Manchester United look to bounce back at the end of a “really tough” week.
The feel-good factor that was returning to Old Trafford came to an end on Monday evening as the Red Devils stumbled to a 1-0 home loss to 10-man Everton, ending a five-match unbeaten run.
United were without Cunha after the Brazil forward suffered a knock in training last Saturday, compounding the absence of striker Sesko with a knee injury.
Neither will be available for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace, where experienced defender Maguire will again miss out.
“Sesko is going to take a little bit more time,” United boss Amorim said. “Harry the same. I expect to have Matheus in the next one (against West Ham on Thursday), not this one.”
Amorim had only expected summer signing Sesko to face a further “few weeks” out when he spoke to journalists ahead of the Everton match.
Asked if his latest remarks meant the United striker had suffered a setback, Amorim said: “No, no, no. It’s going to take a little bit longer. We are taking care of the injury.”
The absence of Cunha and Sesko damages United’s chances of getting back to winning ways at Palace, who they have failed to score against in their last four Premier League meetings.
Amorim’s side need to lift the mood after Monday’s embarrassing home loss to an Everton reduced to 10 men after just 13 minutes following Idrissa Gana Gueye’s slap on team-mate Michael Keane.
Ruben provided a team news update in today's #PL press conference
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