Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes sustained a soft tissue injury during the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa and is expected to be sidelined for multiple upcoming matches. The 31-year-old was forced off at half-time following a challenge from Amadou Onana. Head coach Ruben Amorim confirmed the setback, noting Fernandes' usual fitness but uncertainty over the exact recovery time.
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United's captain, was withdrawn at half-time in Sunday's 2-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa after picking up a soft tissue injury. The incident occurred during a challenge from Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana, marking a rare absence for the 31-year-old Portuguese international, who has missed only three matches due to injury or illness since joining the club in 2020.
United head coach Ruben Amorim addressed the injury post-match, expressing caution. "I think it’s a soft tissue," Amorim said. "I think he’s going to lose some games. I don’t know for sure, so let’s see. He’s a guy that is always fit, so he can recover quite well. But I don’t know."
The injury compounds United's challenges, with midfielder Kobbie Mainoo also ruled out of the Boxing Day home fixture against Newcastle due to a calf injury. Mainoo had been absent for the Villa Park clash and could have replaced Fernandes. Casemiro will return after a one-match suspension, but the team might still be without up to seven players owing to injuries and international duties.
Amorim remained pragmatic, stating, "I will see what we are going to do. I think Kobbie Mainoo is out, Bruno is out. So we will see and we are going to find solutions. No excuses. We need to win the next game. We will try to win the next one."
The coach drew parallels to last season's injury crisis at this stage, insisting it would not disrupt long-term plans. "I remember in this moment last year, we had the same issue," he said. "So when you have that experience, maybe it looks not so bad. It could be worse, but you have that feeling that nobody’s going to die. We know that we are going to suffer without all these players, but with our fans, we’ll try to arrange something to win the next game."
Amorim also ruled out rushed moves in the January transfer window. "What we cannot do is reach January and try to do everything in urgency and make mistakes," he explained. "And then here we go again with a lot of mistakes. So I’m not going to get with Jason and Omar and say we need a lot of players because we have a plan. If we have to suffer, the club comes first. Of course, we are in the moment that we need points, but we need to find solutions and we are going to continue with our plan."
