United ace’s mysterious gesture sparks injury fears after near perfect weekend for United – report

Manchester United enjoyed a fabulous weekend in the Premier League, with a fine home win against top-four rivals Aston Villa, coupled with rivals dropping points around them. Second-half goals from Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko secured a valuable three points at Old Trafford, with United now firmly cemented in third place and favourites for Champions League qualification. However, there may have been some bad news for Michael Carrick in what was an otherwise near-perfect weekend, with Bryan Mbeumo coming off midway through the second half against Villa. Injured or rested? Despite not showing major signs of discomfort, Bryan Mbeumo appeared to make a gesture toward one of his teammates that could mean he was replaced due to an injury. As reported by the Express, Gary Neville made reference to a “head shake” from the United forward and questioned whether Mbeumo might have picked up a knock. Speaking on co-commentary during the game, Neville said, “Is he injured? Is he limping, Mbeumo? He was shaking his head when he walked off and looked at one of the United players as if he might be carrying something.” Carrick made no comment on the substitution in any of his post-match interviews, with no questions forthcoming from the media. Time to recover Mbeumo has enjoyed a fine maiden season in Manchester, getting off to an excellent start under Ruben Amorim and performing well in the centre-forward position since Carrick’s arrival. No doubt the United interim head coach sees the former Brentford man as a key cog in his wheel, and losing him for any length of time would serve as a blow to the run-in. However, should the 26-year-old be nursing a niggle, United play just one game between now and mid-April due to the international break and no cup commitments, giving him plenty of time to recover. Furthermore, the form of Sesko would mean Carrick has a ready-made replacement should there be any lasting damage to Mbeumo, with the big striker chomping at the bit for a starting place. As mentioned, no official word has come from the club to confirm or deny the state of Mbeumo’s fitness, but with the trip to Bournemouth on the horizon it won’t be long before the issue comes to light, if indeed there is one. Featured image by Michael Regan/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Conner Botterill Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for three years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology through the Open University. His favourite match attended was the Champions League victory in Paris under one the guidance of one of his idols, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.