Bruno Fernandes has missed Manchester United’s last three games due to injury, and Ruben Amorim gave an update on his possible return after the 1-1 draw at Elland Road.
Manager Ruben Amorim has hinted that Bruno Fernandes could return to Manchester United by the end of January. United have been without their captain for the last three games due to injury, but he could return to the squad in the coming weeks.
Fernandes came on as a substitute at half-time in United’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on 21 December. The Portuguese playmaker will be a major absence for Amorim, whose side beat Newcastle 1-0 and drew 1-1 with Wolves and Leeds in Fernandes’ absence.
This injury coincided with other absences. Brian Mbeumo, Amadou and Nouseir Mazrawi are absent on international duty for the African Cup of Nations, while Mason Mount, Koby Mainu, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are all absent through injury.
United had an absentee bench at Elland Road on Sunday, with only three senior players among the group of academy players – Joshua Zirkzee, Altai Baindir and Tyrell Malasia. Brenden Aaronson put Leeds ahead, before Matheus Cunha sealed United’s point with a finish from Zirkzee’s through ball.
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But after the game, there was a glimmer of hope. Asked about the move in January, Amorim told TNT Sports: “Just focus on the game and prepare for the game. I think we’ll probably get some minutes from Bruno and Mason Mount. So, you know, we can build on the quality that we have. We have players who are ready to help us.”
Asked if Fernandes and Mount were likely to return for the next game, Amorim said: “Let’s wait and see.”
Amorim has already said United will not be busy in January after spending more than £200m in the summer. “United are one of the best clubs in the world. If you’re here and you’re focusing on another club, something is wrong,” he added.
The first half was a monotonous affair at Elland Road, but Aaronson took advantage of some defensive laxity to put Leeds into a 1-0 lead. Cunha scored United’s equalizer before hitting the post, but Amorim was mostly happy with what he saw.
“I think we played well,” he said. “I think we had better control in this game than we showed against Wolves. This is important because we will see how we can prepare for this week with the mistakes we learned from the last game. We controlled Leeds with set pieces and second balls. They are really fast up front. We controlled well.”
“We had chances to win the game. We lost the game in the little details. Leeds’ goal, they controlled the game, we only kicked the ball once in transition, but we managed to get back into the game. Last year it would have been completely different. This year we have more control than last year, but it’s frustrating not to win.”
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