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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is set to miss his side's clash with Newcastle United after sitting out a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal today (May 12). The Portuguese playmaker has a wrist injury and also sat out the Red Devils' 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace last Monday (May 6).
Erik ten Hag has told talkSPORT that Fernandes is likely to miss the encounter with Newcastle at Old Trafford (May 15). It's a huge blow for his side as they have crumbled as of late, without a win in three outings.
Manchester United were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal at home in a stale affair that puts their hopes of European qualification through the league in jeopardy. They sit eighth, three points behind Chelsea with two games left.
Fernandes was in fine form before picking up the first injury of his United career. He'd registered 15 goals and 11 assists in 45 games across competitions in his first season since being appointed captain.
The Portugal international's availability has been vital for the Red Devils over the years. His absence has led to two disappointing defeats on the bounce and Ten Hag will hope he's soon back in action.
Manchester United face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25 at Wembley. They suffered a 2-1 loss to their neighbors in last season's final but Fernandes was on the scoresheet from the spot.
Wayne Rooney made an intriguing claim about Manchester United's injured stars after the Arsenal defeat
Wayne Rooney suggested Manchester United's injured players were perhaps delaying a return to be fit for more significant games such as the FA Cup final. The Red Devils icon worked as a pundit on Sky Sports when he said:
"Yeah. 100%. You’ve got the European Championships coming up, you’ve got an FA Cup final coming up. It’s easy for players to, because they’re getting a little bit of stick now, stay out of it and then come back towards the final and get themselves ready for the European Championships."
Ten Hag's injury list is a long one as 10 first-team stars are out of action. This includes Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, and Luke Shaw.
Manchester United have endured an injury-ridden season that has led to 32 different backlines fielded by Ten Hag. Casemiro and Jonny Evans were partners today but couldn't prevent Arsenal from winning at Old Trafford courtesy of Leandro Trossard's winner.
