After Bruno Fernandes got injured, he was seen limping, and Manchester United is hoping he can work a miracle and return ahead of schedule! Ideally, he could play against Manchester City.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was hurt in the previous Premier League game. Coach Ruben Amorim stated that he had a soft tissue injury, believed to be related to his Achilles tendon. British media spotted B. Fernandes out with friends the night before on Tuesday; he wasn’t using any braces but was walking with a limp.

This is a classic Achilles strain scenario: walking isn’t an issue, but vigorous exercise, particularly abrupt stops and directional changes, is off-limits. At the time, B. Fernandes was dining with friends at the Turquoise restaurant in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. When asked if he could participate in the Boxing Day home match against Newcastle United, he clearly found the question unnecessary and simply replied with one word: "NO!"

The 31-year-old B. Fernandes is not only certain to miss the Newcastle game but will also be sidelined for the final match of the year against Wolves, as well as the first few games of 2026, including away Premier League matches against Leeds United, Burnley, and the FA Cup third-round home fixture versus Brighton.

According to initial scans, B. Fernandes might also miss the second leg of the Manchester Derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 17, and possibly the high-profile away game at Arsenal on January 25. This marks his first long-term injury absence since joining Manchester United; previously, he only missed two matches due to injury and one due to illness. Moreover, this is the most severe injury of his career.

However, the British media outlet The Sun reported that Manchester United is hoping their "Iron Man" B. Fernandes can perform a miracle and return earlier than expected, at least to take part in the Premier League away game at Arsenal. If luck is on his side, even the derby against Manchester City might not be out of reach!

Amorim explained: "It’s a soft tissue strain. I think he (B. Fernandes) will miss a few matches, but I can’t be certain. Let’s wait and see, I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about things beyond our control. He’s always been very healthy, so he might recover well. I believe Kobe (Meno) might also miss the next game, Bruno is absent, so we have to find solutions. No excuses, we need to win the next match, and we will fight to win it."

Meno has a calf injury, which means that for the December 26 match against Newcastle, 40-year-old Amorim will have only two genuine midfielders available. Casemiro will return after serving a suspension, and the other is Ugarte, who started for the first time in nearly three months at Villa Park, replacing the suspended "Big Cat." However, Manchester United lost every game this season when Ugarte has started.

Therefore, fans prefer to see Lisandro Martinez, who replaced B. Fernandes against Aston Villa, start in midfield. However, Martinez, recently recovering from a long-term injury, might not be able to play the full match, so Ugarte will definitely feature.

Since joining Manchester United in 2020, B. Fernandes has made 308 appearances, contributing 196 goals and assists. Such a prolonged absence from the Red Devils is unprecedented. This certainly won’t be a joyful Christmas.

Almost every Manchester United fan knows that even when B. Fernandes is fit, the team urgently needs to strengthen the midfield. His current injury serves as a warning sign for the club to address this issue promptly. January signings have become inevitable.

Although Manchester United is reluctant to prioritize short-term gains and insists on a long-term approach to signing players, if Amorim does not bring in replacements, he won’t be able to further trim the squad. Besides key targets like Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, and Adam Walton, there are certainly other options on the midfield candidate list.