Manchester United's Struggles in the Premier League Without Bruno Fernandes

BEFORE Sunday, Bruno Fernandes had only ever missed two Manchester United matches through injury.

Under , were paranoid about specifying players’ injuries and was absent for back-to-back defeats to and in May 2024.

Bruno Fernandes will be out for up to a monthCredit: Reuters Fernandes came off at half-time at VillaCredit: Getty

Before that, ’ only other enforced absence was through illness in a 3-2 win over Tottenham in March 2022.

hit a hat-trick that day but do not currently possess a talisman in Ronaldo’s class to offset .

The United captain is poised to miss around a month with a hamstring injury sustained in the first half of their .

That would rule Fernandes out of home games against and , the new year trips to and , the third round visit of Brighton, the second Manchester derby this season and, potentially, Arsenal away.

Wolves and Burnley are borderline gimmes but United’s season could go up in smoke without Fernandes, 31, over the forthcoming weeks.

The FA Cup is their only chance of silverware and they have already given up an obscene number of points in their last eight games, winning only two.

It was almost a year ago that Fernandes was sent off on Boxing Day in a 2-0 defeat at Wolves.

Newcastle were next up at United and that must have been one of those games where Amorim expected defeat on the coach journey to the ground.

With Fernandes serving a one-match ban, United were 2-0 down inside 19 minutes and Joshua Zirkzee was subjected to catcalls and boos after his 31st-minute substitution.

The fixtures are reversed this year, with Newcastle due on Boxing Day before Wolves on January 30.

Newcastle’s away record is a dismal one win in eight in the Premier League this term but they have had United’s number of late.

Under , Newcastle have won five, drawn two and lost two against United. They did the league double against United for the first time since 1930-31 last season.

Fernandes was dismissed three times last term but his first was overturned on appeal, so he avoided a suspension.

United drew with as the Portuguese served a one-match ban for a red card in .

Out of a possible 325 United games, Fernandes has played in 308 and not appeared in only 17 since his January 2020 arrival.

In the Premier League, United have lost five and drawn one of the last six games Fernandes has missed.

Overall, they have managed eight wins from 17 but five were in the FA Cup, and .

Fernandes has served four one-match bans for the number of yellow cards he has accumulated.

United coped without Fernandes to beat Burnley 3-1 in December 2021 but they were bulldozed by Aston Villa in a 3-1 loss 11 months later.

With Fernandes back in , United crashed out of Europe in a limp 3-0 hammering at in April 2023 but earned a creditable goalless draw at Anfield in December that year.

Fernandes was rested for United’s final league game of the 2020-21 season – a 2-1 win at Wolves – as it was three days before the Europa League final against .

He was an unused substitute at in May as Amorim prioritised the upcoming Europa League semi-final second leg with Athletic Bilbao. United lost 4-3 but were 4-1 down at one stage at the Gtech Stadium.

The only FA Cup tie Fernandes played no part in was an unmemorable Covid-era third round tie at home to Watford that was settled by a header in January 2021.

United have won the four League Cup ties Fernandes has not figured in – a mixture of early-round games against heavily-rotated Premier League teams or Football League teams: Brighton, Charlton and Crystal Palace.

Fernandes was red-carded three times last seasonCredit: Reuters Fernandes’ booking cost United against Sevilla in 2023Credit: Alamy Fernandes has played in 308 of a possible 325 United games since he joinedCredit: BEIN Sports