Ruben Amorim has admitted it is “impossible” to replace Bruno Fernandes but has challenged his under-strength squad to step up and fill the gap.
Manchester United face Newcastle United on Boxing Day without their inspirational captain after he suffered a “soft tissue” leg injury last weekend — a problem that is expected to sideline him for around a month.
At the start of the holiday period, and with Kobbie Mainoo also unavailable with a calf injury, the timing could not be worse for Amorim, who admits he, and his squad, are facing a challenge.
Fernandes was injured towards the end of the first half against Villa
REUTERS
“It’s impossible to replace Bruno but I said that this morning to the team,” said Amorim. “I think we need to take the good thing, if there is a good thing about that, [and say] a lot of people need to step up.
“And it’s not just the creation but every set piece, Bruno is the guy that is organising the team. And that is a good opportunity for everyone to step up and to understand that we cannot rely on one player for everything.
“Sometimes we rely on Bruno in the organisation, in the creation. We have now lost Bruno in set pieces. We lost Bryan [Mbeumo] and Amad [Diallo] in set-pieces. This is massive for the team but it’s an opportunity for other players to step up and to show the leadership that we need in the team.”
Mbeumo and Diallo have been central to United’s recent upturn but they are now away at Afcon
PHIL NOBLE/REUTERS
The absence of Mbeumo and Diallo to international duty is another factor Amorim must contend with. No other player in the Premier League has created more than Fernandes’s 51 chances, while the absent trio of Fernandes, Diallo and Mbeumo have combined to carve out 105 chances — more than the rest of the United squad put together.
The United manager did not try to downplay the negative impact of playing without Fernandes for the next month, when asked what the side lose in his absence.
“Everything. Everything. Because, again, he understands every position on the field,” Amorim said. “He pays attention to every detail. Every set piece, when you have a substitution, he is always the guy who is telling the other guys where they should be.
“But that is a very good opportunity for guys like Licha [Martínez], Luke Shaw, all these guys. We need to step up to have more leaders in the group because this can happen to Bruno. It’s not usual. But this can happen, so it’s a big opportunity for the other guys.”
Martínez, normally a centre back, came on for Fernandes against Villa and could be used in a deep midfield role again
CATHERINE IVILL/GETTY IMAGES
The lack of experience in the midfield will necessitate Amorim naming youngsters Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey, who came off the bench in the weekend loss at Aston Villa, in the squad — a move he has no hesitation in doing.
“We have other players, we need to maybe try to see different ways of playing,” he said. “Jack Fletcher did a very good job and that’s why when we have this opportunity we need to give space to guys like Jack and the others.
“They are good kids. The behaviour that they have shown during these weeks is really good. I don’t have that feeling that they were a little bit different because they played for Manchester United. No, they are really focused and they are preparing for the game and they believe that they can play. That is a good feeling.”
To compound Amorim’s problems, defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain unavailable through injury.
United’s next six fixturesNewcastle (h) Premier League Boxing Day, 8pmWolves (h) Premier League Dec 30Leeds (a) Premier League Jan 4Burnley (a) Premier League Jan 7Brighton (h) FA Cup third round Jan 11Man City (h) Premier League Jan 17