Bruno Fernandes faces a spell on the sidelines after missing Portugal’s clash with Norway, leaving Michael Carrick searching for tactical alternatives to revive United’s stuttering campaign.
Manchester United's stars left on international duty last week, and some of the club's stars have been involved in action.
Senne Lammens and Youri Tielemans represented Belgium in a 2-0 win away to Italy, with Tielemans captaining the side, while Noussair Mazraoui scored in a 2-0 win over Gabon.
But many United players were ordered not to go on international duty due to suspected injury. Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Karl Darlow all withdrew from representing their nations.
Michael Carrick will be hoping to improve on a substandard start to the season, and will need the whole squad at his disposal to do so, but one Red has picked up an injury whilst away at their training camp, which will be a huge loss for Carrick.
Bruno Fernandes misses Norway game
United captain Bruno Fernandes missed the Portugal national team's trip to Oslo on Sunday as he picked up a suspected injury.
ESPN has reported that Fernandes has been managing a minor injury since United's 4-0 home win over Sabah FK in their return to the Champions League, but has played four games since then.
Portugal won 2-1 away to Norway in their second round tie of the Nations League, with Joao Félix replacing Fernandes in the starting eleven, and opened the scoring in the game.
Jorge Jesus started his tenure as Portugal boss with a 1-0 win over Wales earlier in the week, in which Fernandes played 90 mins, and Félix scored as well.
United sit twelfth in the league and will be looking to protect their captain from a flurry of games upon his return. The Reds will host Spurs on 10th October and play their second Champions League fixture just three days later, in which they travel to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Fernandes has stayed with the Portugal camp, but it is unsure as to whether he will feature in their next match against Denmark.
Who are the Bruno alternatives?
It is not confirmed as to whether Fernandes' injury is a substantial one; however, he passed a late fitness test for both the Manchester City and Fulham games, in which the Reds only managed to score one goal.
Mason Mount's recent return from injury makes him the prime candidate to replace a potentially injured Fernandes, but his reintegration into the squad has been sparse, despite scoring in United's 3-2 loss to Brighton.
Amad Diallo remains injured and will likely miss most of October; he sustained an ankle injury early in preseason and has been sidelined since.
He featured as a central attacking midfielder when on loan at Sunderland in 2023 and impressed then-manager Tony Mowbray. Fans believed Amad may feature centrally at the Reds, but he has yet to do so.
One outsider's shout could come from the academy, though Shea Lacey has emerged as more of a first-team player now. He has played in a central position when in the academy, but has only featured on the right for the first team.
His ability to play in tight spaces, and long shot prowess, may make him the perfect alternative for Fernandes.
