‘Estebao and Delap are back in contention’ – Maresca confirms Chelsea’s fitness has doubled
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Eddie Howe’s United hosts on Boxing Day as they look to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in their last Premier League match.
And Amorim’s selection has been hampered by injuries to Fernandes and Maynou, adding further complications to the forced absences of Brian Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Nouseir Mazraoui, who are representing their countries at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Amorim admitted that neither Fernandes nor Maynou would be fit to face Newcastle, but did not say how long Fernandes would be out.
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‘We were the better team’ – Amorim frustrated after Manchester United’s loss at Villa
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He said: “No, not this game (Newcastle). They are recovering. I don’t think it will take long. I think Coby will be back sooner than Bruno.”
Regarding the extension of Fernandes’ injury, Amorim said: “I don’t want to say it. Of course I have ideas, but let’s see. We have other players and maybe we need to consider a different way of playing.”
United used defender Lisandro Martinez in midfield during their defeat to Villa. Amorim also confirmed that Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt will be unavailable.
He added: “We’re still working with[Maguire and De Ligt]. They won’t be available for this game, but let’s look at the next game.”
Fernandes has been an integral part of United’s squad since joining from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, but Amorim said he felt his injury provided an opportunity for other players to step up.
He explained: “You can’t replace Bruno, but what I told the team this morning is that when good things come, we need to take them and a lot of people need to step up.”
“He’s the guy who brings the team together, not just in creation, but in every set piece, and it’s a good opportunity for everyone to step up and understand that you can’t rely on one player for everything.
“Sometimes in our organization and in our creation, we rely on Bruno. We lost Bruno on set-pieces, we lost Brian (Mbeumo) on set-pieces, so this is a huge thing for the team, but it’s also an opportunity for the players to step up and show the leadership that the team needs.”
United are currently seventh in the table, a huge improvement from last season’s lowest-placed 15th place in the Premier League, but they still suffer from the inconsistency that was evident during Amorim’s time at Old Trafford.
