'What?' - Man Utd shut down bizarre claim Matheus Cunha won't play again this season

Manchester United have already secured a place in the Champions League for next season, but that does not mean they will down tools for the remainder of the current campaign.

Michael Carrick's side sit third in the Premier League table after a 3-2 win against fierce rivals Liverpool at the weekend. It means they are most likely to finish third in the final table, though they could still finish as high as second and as low as fifth.

United want to end the season on a high with another three wins, though there could be room for some rotation now that their main objective has been met. That suggestion of squad rotation led to a bizarre report from ESPN Brazil, which suggested United had reached an agreement with the Brazilian FA to rest star forward Matheus Cunha for the final three matches of the season.

Cunha, 26, has enjoyed an excellent debut season at Old Trafford and opened the scoring in the victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. His deflected opener took his tally to nine goals and four assists this season and also ensured he grabbed direct goal involvements in wins over Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The former Wolves forward overcame a recent hip injury to be named in the starting line up against Liverpool, and it is understood the Brazil national side are eager for him to grab some much-needed rest ahead of the World Cup in North America this summer. Cunha has featured in the last six friendly matches for his nation and is expected to play a starring role as they go in search of a record sixth World Cup win.

Cunha also responds to speculation

The report claimed United had reached an agreement with the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) to be 'cautious' about Cunha's involvement in the final weeks of the season. However, that claim appeared to be news to both Cunha and United.

Cunha took to social media in the hours after the article was published and uploaded a picture of himself to his Instagram story, with the simple caption "What?", followed by a laughing face emoji. United sources also poured cold water over the story when contacted by SPORTbible and insisted there was no such agreement in place for the key player to play a reduced role in the last three matches of the season.

United have secured three successive victories in the Premier League and will finish the campaign with an away trip to Sunderland this weekend, before they welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford in their last home match of the season.

Carrick's side makes the long trip to Brighton on the final day of the season and could give several youngsters the chance to impress when there is little else at stake.