During Manchester United’s defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, injured Bruno Fernandes was reportedly seen limping severely as he rushed out to eat. The Portuguese midfielder left the pitch at half-time and the Red Devils ended up losing 2-1.
Fernandes has been an influential player at Old Trafford since moving to England from Sporting in 2020. He is arguably United’s most important player, having scored five goals and provided seven assists in 17 Premier League appearances this season before his injury at Villa Park.
Mr Fernandes enjoyed a meal with friends at the Turquoise Restaurant in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, on Monday night. Witnesses then saw a 31-year-old man limping heavily, The Sun reported.
The player was reportedly asked if he was eligible to play against Newcastle on Boxing Day. And Starr answered, “No.”
Fernandes has never faced an extended period of time away from action since joining the club, but he could continue to miss important matches in the future.
And United manager Ruben Amorim admitted after the match against Villa: “I think it’s a soft tissue, so it’s going to take some time. We’ll see.”
He added: “It’s really strange. There are so many issues this year, especially at this time of year, that we have to deal with.”
Fernandes could miss around a month of games and is also expected to miss Premier League matches against Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds and Burnley, as well as the FA Cup third round match against Brighton.
Red Devils bosses are also said to be concerned about the player being unavailable for the game against Manchester City on Saturday, January 17, with his return likely to be against Arsenal a week after the Manchester derby.
United had a difficult start to the season, but Aston Villa have improved in recent months with two defeats in 11 games.
The North West Giants have won seven of their 17 league games this season and occupy seventh place in the Premier League table, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and 13 points behind leaders Arsenal.
And after the Villa comeback, Amorim explained: “I think we were the better team today. We were unlucky with Bruno’s injury, but even without him we were the better team during the game. We blocked the transitions well and they did a really good job. We did a very good job. No one will remember it tomorrow, because the result is what matters.”
