Bruno Fernandes is set to miss the Europa League second leg against Sevilla due to suspension.


Manchester midfielder Bruno Fernandes will not feature when the Red Devils travel to Spain next week to face Sevilla.

Fernández had to avoid being held fit to play at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuan Stadium when he took charge of his first game at Old Trafford.

United got off to a good start in the opening 45 minutes as Marcel Sabitzer scored a stunning goal to put his side in the driving seat.

United dominated most of the game but the first half was marred by Fernandez’s yellow card.

The referee adjudged that the Portuguese midfielder handled the ball outside his own box.

The Sevilla player fired a terrific shot to save United’s advantage and the diving Fernandez slipped over.

It can be argued that the ball is hit so close that the player has no place to put his hand.

The referee’s decision looked worse as Erik Lamela’s clear foul on Casemiro went completely unpunished minutes before Fernandez was shown a yellow.

Lamela dived into the tackle and landed the mite on Casemiro, who was writhing in pain on the ground. A yellow was given before a lengthy VAR check.

The VAR official upheld the original on-field decision and Lamela was allowed to continue playing.

There is no doubt that Fernandez’s absence is a loss for Erik ten Haag.

A possible solution is to play Christian Eriksen at number 10 – a role the Dane is most familiar with, or Eriksen can play deeper while Marcel Sabitzer continues at number 10.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *