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Reuben Amorim Is facing a growing list of injuries which now includes Manchester United captain bruno fernandeswho were forced out at half-time on Sunday Premier League defeat on Aston Villa,
Fernandes, United’s strongest and most important player, was involved in most of the first-half action at Villa Park, but just before half-time he caused concern by extending his right leg and wandering around the pitch.
Fernandes, who has missed only two games through injury in his United career. Villa’s midfielder went off after a challenge from Amadou Onana.
Amorim said: “It’s really strange. It’s a soft tissue, I think he’ll miss a few games, I don’t know for sure. Let’s see. I think it’s going to take some time. He’s a guy who’s always been fit so he should be able to recover quite well.”
Meanwhile, Amorim has said United cannot afford to make mistakes in the transfer market by making panic purchases to cope without Fernandes.
While United were interested in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba in the summer and their long-term targets could include Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Amorim said they would rather suffer in the short-term than make a mistake in the market.
And he argued that Fernandes’ absence cannot be an excuse as he will have to find solutions internally to help his team cope without the Portugal international.
“We need to deal with this,” he said. “What we can’t do is get to January and try to do everything right away and then make mistakes.” [it’s] ‘Here we go again’ with lots of mistakes. I am not going to get it [together] with jason [Wilcox, the director of football] and age [Berrada, the chief executive] And says: ‘We need a lot of players.’
“Because we have a plan. If we have to suffer losses, the club comes first. Of course, we are in a moment where we need points but we need to find solutions and we will continue with our plan.”
Amorim also spoke about academy players Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey, who were given few minutes against Villa and may need to step into the vacant roles. The manager said: “I think Fletcher played his first game, so that’s good news, Lacey did the same, so we’ll try to find a solution and go for the next game. I’ve been a manager for six years and even Sporting is about the academy, so it’s about history.
“I just want to win and make sure the players coming from the academy don’t suffer too much. I’m just trying to help the club, it doesn’t matter if it’s from the academy or from abroad.”
Fernandes was seen walking towards the dugout after the start of the second half, but was limping and walking slowly before taking his place in the stands.
Diogo Delot told Sky Sports how the loss of Fernandes affected the team: “It’s huge, we don’t know how bad it is but for him to come out of the game… we know how tough he is, hopefully it’s not too bad, and we’ll be with him for the next game.
“This is the time when opportunities come for other players. That’s the time when you step up and show that you deserve to be on the team, that you deserve more minutes. I think the players who are going to get opportunities should look at it that way.”
Fernandes is the latest member of the United squad to suffer an injury and there are now serious concerns for Amorim’s midfield as Martínez was brought in to play alongside Manuel Ugarte.
Before the game at Villa Park, Kobi Manu was left out of the team on match day Got a calf injury during training on Saturday.
Defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt also missed the match with thigh and back problems, while Noucair Mazraoui, Brian Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are all on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro missed the Villa clash due to suspension but should be available for the next game against Newcastle on Boxing Day.
That game begins a series of four matches in 13 days for Manchester United and if they are without their captain it could seriously damage their chances of finishing in the top six of the Premier League.