Bruno Fernandes had to come off at half-time during Manchester United’s defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday after injuring his hamstring.
Manchester United fell to a 2–1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, with Morgan Rogers netting both goals for the hosts.
Although United enjoyed long spells of control, they once again failed to make their dominance count in front of goal. In contrast, Rogers produced two moments of real quality that proved decisive.
There are positives for Ruben Amorim’s side to take from the performance, but their persistent inability to convert chances continues to undermine them.
Adding to their concerns, Bruno Fernandes was forced off at half-time with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, a worrying sight for any United supporter.
What Fernandes did at full-time vs Villa speaks volumes
Without Fernandes in the second half, United just didn’t have the quality to punish Villa and they were also lacking the leadership the captain shows on the pitch.
Diogo Dalot took the captain’s armband in the second half and he was guilty of allowing a cross into the box too easily before Roger’s eventual winner.
But Fernandes still shown his leadership after injury, with a clip at full-time showing exactly why he is the captain at Old Trafford.
While Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher were awarded their first-team debuts in this clash, fellow youngster Bendito Mantato missed out and remained on the bench.
Fernandes was spotted putting his arm around Mantato and speaking to him as the players headed back into the tunnel. It was a good moment to see and fans will be hoping to see the captain back as soon as possible.
Fernandes injury update from Amorim
Amorim has claimed that the injury problems at the moment are ‘really strange’ and stated that Fernandes could be out for ‘a while’ with a ‘soft tissue’ injury.
“It is really strange,” he told Sky Sports. “During this year, especially at this time, we have so many problems, but we have to cope with that.
“I think Fletcher did his first game, so that is good news, Lacey the same, so we will try to find solutions and go for the next game.
“I think it’s soft tissue [Fernandes injury] so it’s going to be a while. We’ll see.”
This looks like it’s going to be the first time since he joined the club that United will have to cope without Fernandes for a period of games and other players are going to need to step up if the Reds want to stay within the European places.
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