Ruben Amorim confirms major Man United injury blow before Newcastle United clash
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes suffered a hamstring injury against Aston Villa.
Bruno Fernandes will almost certainly miss the Boxing Day clash between Manchester United and Newcastle United with a hamstring injury.
Eddie Howe’s men make the tricky trip to Old Trafford on Friday - the only round of Premier League fixtures on December 26 this year. This will be the fourth Boxing Day meeting between the two clubs in 13 years.
The Theatre of Dreams was an unhappy hunting ground for the Magpies until recently. Newcastle have won two, drawn one and lost one of their last four visits to Man United.
Bruno Fernandes set to miss Premier League clash
Newcastle will have been delighted to see Red Devils captain Fernandes hobble off in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. The midfielder appeared to tweak his hamstring shortly before the break.
Fernandes soldiered on for the remainder of the half before being withdrawn at the interval. Speaking post-match, Man United boss Ruben Amorim confirmed he expects Fernandes to be out of action.
“It is soft tissue,” Amorim told reporters. “It is going to take a while. We have to cope. We will find solutions. He’s a guy that is always fit, so we can recover quite well. But I don’t know.”
Manchester United mini injury crisis
As well as their captain, Man United are also set to be with Bryan Mbeumo (AFCON), Amad Diallo (AFCON), Noussair Mazraoui (AFCON), Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire.
Newcastle will be licking their lips ahead of the festive trip later this week. Given the Magpies’ own fitness struggles and poor away form, they will take any advantage possible before facing Man United - a direct rival for a European place.
What Eddie Howe said about Manchester United job
Howe was bizarrely linked with the Man United job in October. When asked about the links by supporters, he said: "I'm all in (at Newcastle). My commitment here is 100% here and always has been.
“My family is still here, and we are fighting every day to make a success of what we are doing. The season ahead could be a wonderful thing, and that is what we are trying to focus on, trying to make a success of the games we have coming up."