It’s not a picture that Man United supporters will want to see, but midfielder Bruno Fernandes appears to be on crutches after injuring himself at Wembley in the FA Cup semi final against Brighton and Hove Albion.
With so many injuries for Erik ten Hag to deal with already as the Red Devils come into the business end of the 2022/23 campaign, the last thing the Dutchman needs is one of his most influential players being sidelined too.
A picture posted by Bruno’s wife, Ana Pinho, on her Instagram stories, shows the star relaxing on a sofa, but with a protective boot and crutches close by.
At this stage it isn’t clear how long he will be out for.
It is understood Fernandes will miss tomorrow’s trip to Spurs and is also a doubt for Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa to Old Trafford. United boss Erik ten Hag is desperate to have Fernandes fit and available to help secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Ten Hag is already without injured first-choice central defensive pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, as well as Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho and Donny van de Beek.
Martinez has already been ruled out for the rest of the season and while there is hope Varane could return for the cup final at the start of June, his availability will be extremely limited.
Luke Shaw was forced to play in central defence against Brighton and played a key role as United recorded another clean sheet. Fernandes may not be as easy to replace however, with ten goals and 13 assists in all competitions.
His absence played a key role in United’s Europa League exit, after he was suspended for the second leg against Sevilla which they lost 3-0. Ten Hag will be hoping they cope better during his next enforced absence, with the battle for a top-four place reaching its conclusion.
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United are fourth in the Premier League, six points ahead of Tottenham with two games in hand. They are level on points with Newcastle, who have played a game more following their commanding 6-1 win over Spurs on the weekend.
Spurs face United after a chastening few days which has seen another change in the dugout and a grovelling apology sent to fans. Cristian Stellini was removed as interim boss following the debacle on Tyneside with Ryan Mason installed for the rest of the season.
And on Tuesday, it was confirmed that Tottenham would reimburse the fans that travelled to St James’ Park.
