After being substituted in Manchester United’s 2-1 loss against Aston Villa, an injury update has given Man Utd fans an idea of how many games the club captain is set to miss.
Manchester United were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, with Morgan Rogers striking twice to seal the victory for the hosts.
While there were certainly positives for Ruben Amorim to take from the performance, it was completely overshadowed by Bruno Fernandes’ injury, which forced him off at half-time.
Since joining in January 2020, the club captain has missed just two games through injury, which came towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign, when he was managing a knee issue so he could play in the FA Cup final.
Reports have emerged that Fernandes picked up a hamstring injury, which could see him ruled out of the United side for at least one month, seeing him miss up to eight fixtures.
Newcastle United (Premier League) 26th December
The first match that the captain will miss is the Boxing Day clash against Newcastle United. Both sides have endured mixed seasons so far, and with just three points separating the sides, Fernandes could have been the difference maker.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League) 30th December
In what will be just over three weeks since they beat Wolves away 4-1, United will host the bottom-placed side without Fernandes, who scored twice and assisted in the reverse fixture at the Molineux.
Leeds United (Premier League) 4th January
Manchester United’s first fixture of the new year comes against old rivals Leeds United. This will be the two sides’ first meeting of this season, and United will travel to Elland Road without their captain. Leeds have enjoyed some good form as of late, on a four-game unbeaten streak, thanks to a resurgent Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line, scoring seven goals this season.
Burnley (Premier League) 7th January
United’s favourable run against relegation-threatened sides comes to an end when they travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley.
In the reverse fixture, which was Manchester United’s third game of the season, it was a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 97th minute that secured all three points in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford
Brighton (FA Cup) 11th January
The 31-year-old midfielder will also miss out on his side’s opening fixture of the FA Cup, an all-Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.
United, who won the FA Cup in the 2023/24 season, will be looking to make a deep run into the competition, and Fernandes will be a big miss as the club looks to guarantee European football next season.
Manchester City (Premier League) 17 January
If the reports are true that Fernandes will miss a full month of football, he could find himself just missing out when Old Trafford hosts the latest chapter in the Manchester Derby. Having lost 3-0 in the reverse fixture, it will be difficult for United to get revenge on their fierce rivals without their captain, who has scored four and assisted four in 16 games against City in all competitions.
Arsenal (Premier League) 25th January
Manchester United face the threat of travelling to the Emirates to face the league leaders without their captain. While this fixture comes just after the one-month injury lay-off window, there is the chance that he could be out for longer than a month.
Even if it’s not, his lack of match sharpness would most likely leave him out of the squad as Amorim will look to get him back up to pace.
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This will be the reverse fixture of United’s opening game of the season, which saw them narrowly lose 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Fulham (Premier League) 2nd February
If the one-month injury lay-off is to be believed, then Fernandes will most likely be available when Amorim’s side hosts Fulham, but may be limited to a starting spot on the bench.
When United travelled down to Craven Cottage in the second game of the season, Fernandes missed a penalty, as the sides shared the spoils with the game ending 1-1.
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