Injuries hit United and Liverpool as squads thin during busy holiday stretch

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes was substituted astatine halftime of Sunday’s Premier League lucifer astatine Aston Villa with an evident musculus issue, adding to Ruben Amorim’s mounting availability problems during the season’s busiest stretch.

Fernandes rubbed the backmost of his close limb and stopped to agelong it during the archetypal half. He did not reappear aft the interval, with centre-back Lisandro Martínez coming connected arsenic the teams resumed astatine 1-1. Villa aboriginal took the points, with Morgan Rogers scoring doubly astir a extremity from United summertime signing Matheus Cunha.

Fernandes limps retired astatine Villa Park

The Portugal international’s exit comes astatine a hard infinitesimal for Amorim, who is already without 8 elder first-team players. Fernandes’ durability has been cardinal to United since his arrival. Since his nine debut connected Feb. 1, 2020, helium is the lone Premier League subordinate to person played much than 300 competitory games astatine nine level (308) and has missed conscionable 17 of United’s 325 matches successful each competitions.

United person not elaborate the quality of the issue, and Fernandes did not instrumentality with the squad for the 2nd half. His substitution forces Amorim to juggle roles and minutes arsenic fixtures heap up.

Liverpool hold connected Isak scan

In Liverpool, determination is besides interest aft Alexander Isak was forced disconnected successful Saturday’s 2-1 triumph implicit Tottenham Hotspur. Sources told ESPN the nine fears the occupation “could beryllium significant,” with the guardant thought to person injured his little limb and an MRI scan required to measure the severity.

Isak scored Liverpool’s opener earlier going down pursuing a dense situation from Spurs defender Micky van de Ven wrong the punishment area. He near the transportation instantly aft the goal, raising doubts astir his availability during the festive run-in.

Speaking connected Saturday, Arne Slot said: "I don't person immoderate quality connected him but if a subordinate scored and past gets injured and doesn't effort to travel backmost connected the pitch, that's usually not a bully happening but I cannot accidental thing much than that.

"It's conscionable a gut feeling but thing aesculapian to accidental astir it. I haven't spoken to him yet.

"It's a bully happening that helium scored. A bully extremity assisted by Florian Wirtz."

Isak’s lack would agelong Liverpool further, with Cody Gakpo sidelined by a musculus occupation and Mohamed Salah distant with Egypt astatine the Africa Cup of Nations.