Ruben Amorim offers latest Bruno Fernandes injury update

Ruben Amorim confirmed that Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will miss the Boxing Day clash against Newcastle but is hopeful his injury issue won’t be too long term.Fernandes was forced off at half-time of the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend with a soft tissue injury and Amorim initially said after that game, he feared his skipper would be out “for a while”.He softened that view somewhat during his pre-match press conference for the Newcastle clash but did confirm that both the Portugal star and fellow midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who is battling a calf injury, would not be fit to face the Magpies.“No, not for this game [Newcastle], they are recovering,” explained Amorim. “I don’t think it will take a lot of time, I think Kobbie will return faster than Bruno.”When asked to put a specific timetable on Fernandes’ return, amid reports that United are hopeful he could return for the Manchester derby on 17 January, the boss demurred: “I don’t want to say, I have an idea but let’s see.”Amorim did admit that losing his captain for any period of time would be a big blow. Fernandes has only missed two matches through injury in his entire Man United career, which began in January 2020, plus one more game due to illness and the boss is keen for others to fill the void – citing 18-year-old Jack Fletcher’s debut when he came off the bench against Villa as an example to follow.“It’s impossible to replace Bruno,” said Amorim. “A lot of people need to step up. It’s not just the creation. “On every set-piece, he is the guy organising the team and that is a good opportunity for everyone to step up and realise we can’t rely on one player for everything. Sometimes we rely on Bruno for the organisation and creation."We lost Bruno, Bryan (Mbeumo) and Amad (Diallo)[both at the African Cup of Nations] in set pieces so this is massive for the team, but it’s an opportunity for other players to step up and show the leadership we need in the team.“We have other players, we need to maybe see different ways of playing. I think Jack Fletcher did a very good job, and that’s why when we have these opportunities, we need to give space to guys like Jack and the other ones.“I am confident we can win any game. We have some problems, but I believe in the team, even without many players in this moment. It is more difficult, but I trust in my players. If we are really focused in the game, we can win.”