Manchester United have suffered a significant injury blow heading into the congested festive schedule after Bruno Fernandes picked up an injury during Sunday’s 2–1 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Ruben Amorim was already dealing with a depleted squad following the absences of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo, all of whom are away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Making his 292nd start for the Red Devils, Fernandes was taken off at the interval for only the third time in his club career, having previously been substituted at half-time against Tottenham in October 2020 in the Premier League and Real Sociedad in February 2021 in the Europa League.
The 31-year-old was withdrawn at Villa Park as United recorded their first defeat under Amorim across their last five Premier League outings, with Morgan Rogers’ brace settling the contest.
The issue appeared to stem from a collision with Amadou Onana, leaving the Portuguese unable to continue, as Lisandro Martinez was introduced for the second half.
Blow
After the match, Amorim addressed the media to provide an update on Fernandes’ injury and the potential length of his absence, saying:
‘I think it’s a soft-tissue injury, so it’s going to be a while. He is a guy who is always fit, so we hope he can recover well. We will see.
‘It’s an injury, and sometimes it’s bad luck or something else at the same time. You can never control these things.
‘We will need to find solutions, and we cannot use anything as an excuse. We need to prepare all the guys that we have for the next game.
‘No one is going to remember these problems, so let’s cope with that. It will make us stronger.’
Once again this season, Fernandes has been United’s leading attacking influence, scoring five goals and supplying seven assists from 17 Premier League outings.
Across the 2025/26 campaign, only Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has recorded more goal involvements, with 19 goals and four assists in 17 matches, meaning Fernandes’ injury represents a serious setback ahead of a demanding run that begins with Newcastle United this weekend.
Following the Newcastle fixture, United—already missing Mazraoui, Amad, and Mbeumo due to AFCON—face four matches within two weeks, ending with an FA Cup third-round clash against Brighton, before league tests against Manchester City and Arsenal.
