JAKARTA - Diogo Dalot calls Bruno Fernandes' injury a big blow as Manchester United is still waiting to find out how serious the captain's injury is.
The 31-year-old, who has always impressed, has started every Premier League game for the Red Devils this season, scoring five goals and providing seven assists.
However, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is concerned Fernandes will miss out with a soft tissue injury which led to him being withdrawn at half-time in the 1-2 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday, December 21, 2025.
"It's huge. We don't know how bad the injury is, but for him to come out (in the middle) of the game, we know how tough he is," Dalot told Sky Sports.
Dalot then took the captain's armband from his compatriot who seemed to moan in pain. He felt that without Fernandes, the team's game was very affected.
"We are obviously sad that Bruno is off the field. I think we found a way to stay in the game and try to find a way to play, create chances."
"I think we still created enough chances to score more goals and let's hope it's not too bad. Then we have Bruno for the next game," Dalot told MUTV.
Although his prognosis is not clear, Amorim has ruled Fernandes out of Manchester United's match against Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
"I think it's a soft tissue injury, so it will take time. I think he will miss a few games, I'm not sure so let's see."
"We can never control things like this, so we'll just see. He's a player who is always fit. So, he can recover quite well, but I don't know," said Amorim.
Kobbie Mainoo, who was Fernandes' understudy, will also be absent due to a calf problem he suffered during training on Saturday, December 20, 2025.
This means that Manchester United could lose seven first-team players in the next match.
Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui are at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, while Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have been absent in recent matches, which has led Amorim to turn to academy players.
Jack Fletcher--son of Manchester United favorite Darren Fletcher--and Shea Lacey came on. Several players made their senior debuts at Villa Park and other academy talent were also ready to show their abilities.
"I think he (Fernandes) will not play for a few matches, but we'll see. Last year we had the same situation at this time, so this will not destroy us, it will make us stronger."
"The young players played well today (against Aston Villa). We have to work with the players we have, without excuses, and try to win the next game," the coach said again as reported by ESPN.
Dalot also agreed with Amorim. According to him, this is an opportunity for players who rarely get playing time to prove themselves.
"This is the time. I mean, we lost a lot of players so this is an opportunity for those who haven't had many opportunities to show that they deserve more playing time."
"I'm very happy they can make their debut and hopefully in the next match they can play and help us too," said Dalot.
Manchester United enter Christmas in seventh place in the Premier League, while Sunday's winners Villa are third - just three points behind leaders Arsenal - after a 10-game winning streak in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers became a star when defeating Manchester United after scoring two impressive goals against West Ham last week.
He again scored two decisive goals to help Unai Emery's team grab three points at home to the Red Devils.
"I feel like I'm playing as well as I ever have. I'm the most confident I've ever been, but that goes for the whole team as well."
"This team is in the most confident state since I've been here. It's no surprise that individual performances improve when we play well collectively."
"We all have confidence in each other, the manager has confidence in us, and we play with the belief that we will win every game," Rogers told VillaTV.
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