MU struggles due to Fernandes' injury

The loss to Aston Villa not only took away MU's opportunity to enter the Top 4 but also left a significant issue in midfield when Bruno Fernandes was injured. How will Ruben Amorim fix the holes in MU's midfield?

Many people responded to the captain's divisive remarks within MU's squad. Nonetheless, Amorim's team is determined not to witness Fernandes out for an extended period on the sidelines.

The personnel crisis worsens

Unfortunately, this scenario was highly likely as the midfielder born in 1994 could not return to the pitch after halftime at Villa Park. Fernandes' injury has put MU in a dire situation. They have already lost Mazraoui, Mbeumo, and Diallo to AFCON. Casemiro is suspended. De Ligt and Maguire have yet to return to action. Most recently, Kobbie Mainoo suffered a calf injury during the last training session.

Fernandes' absence is the worst-case scenario hitting Old Trafford. He is the only player with the quality to rescue MU from disastrous matches through his creativity, assists, or even scoring crucial goals. This season, even playing as a central midfielder, he has contributed 5 goals and 7 assists for MU. Amorim's team is accustomed to Fernandes always being fit and ready to play in any position—from central midfield, winger, to even a false number 9. A telling statistic about the Portuguese midfielder’s durability at Manchester United: he missed only 2 games due to injury late in the 2023-24 season and one more due to illness. This time, it is a serious soft tissue injury.

How did Amorim react to Fernandes' injury? He remains confident MU will find a replacement: "We will find solutions and will not use this injury as an excuse. We need to prepare with all the players available for the next match. We will face it and become stronger." He experimented with Lisandro Martinez as a midfielder after halftime instead of introducing another midfielder. The Argentine generally performed adequately in this new role. But in the long term, Amorim needs Martinez back in his natural center-back position considering the inexperience of defenders like Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. Yoro made mistakes in both MU goals, while Heaven, despite several impressive blocks, could have done better on the second goal. It is very difficult to keep a clean sheet with two of the three center-backs being young and prone to errors. Martinez must return to defense to help minimize goals conceded.