Manchester United are bracing themselves for a potential setback after captain Bruno Fernandes picked up an injury during Sunday’s Premier League defeat to Aston Villa.
The Portuguese midfielder was forced off at half-time at Villa Park after appearing to pull up with a hamstring issue during the first half of the 2-1 loss.
Fernandes initially tried to play through the injury. However, Ruben Amorim replaced him with Lisandro Martinez at the interval.
Later, the Manchester United captain was walking gingerly along the touchline. Speaking after the match, head coach Ruben Amorim spoke about Fernandes’ injury.
The Portuguese boss admitted the early signs were not encouraging and suggested Fernandes could be sidelined for some time. Amorim said:
“I think it’s soft tissues, so it’s going to take a while. We’ll see.
“During this year, especially in this time, we have so many problems, but we have to cope with that.”
The injury comes at a difficult moment for United. The Red Devils are already stretched due to absences elsewhere in the squad.
Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui are all away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, limiting Amorim’s attacking and wide options.
To make matters worse, Kobbie Mainoo was unavailable for the Villa clash after suffering a calf injury in training.
Amorim admitted the timing of that setback was far from ideal, particularly given Fernandes’ importance to the side. Amorim said about Mainoo:
“He is going to be fine in a few weeks, I think, I don’t know. Let’s focus on the players that we have and are ready to play.”
The Manchester United boss also revealed that both players will miss their Boxing Day clash against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
🚨⚠️ Rúben Amorim: “I think Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno are out vs Newcastle”.
“We are going to find solutions. For sure. No excuses. We need to win the next game”. pic.twitter.com/TyHzqm3D5L
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 22, 2025
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