Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has teased that Bruno Fernandes might be fit for the clash with Manchester City next month – insisting he doesn’t want to say in a hint that the Portuguese is playing early mind games for the derby. Neither Fernandes nor Kobbie Mainoo will be fit for the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle. However, Amorim indicated that Mainoo is likely to make a swifter recovery than his captain.

The Portuguese skipper sustained an injury during the opening period of United’s loss at Aston Villa at the weekend. Despite struggling on, he managed to complete the first half before being withdrawn at the interval, as Morgan Rogers’ brace secured victory for the hosts. Mainoo suffered his setback during training ahead of the Villa fixture but is progressing towards fitness. “No, not for this game [Newcastle], they are recovering. I don’t think it will take a lot of time, I think Kobbie will return faster for Bruno,” Amorim confirmed.

United face Manchester City in the derby on January 17, though it’s uncertain whether their captain will be available for that encounter. “I don’t want to say. I have an idea, of course, but let’s see,” Amorim responded when questioned about Fernandes’ comeback date.

Since arriving at United from Sporting in January 2020, Fernandes has been an almost ever-present figure in the starting XI. The 31-year-old has been absent for only nine of United’s 221 league matches during that spell, and had featured for the complete 90 minutes in most of this campaign’s fixtures before his injury at Villa Park.

Amorim is already managing without Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad, with the trio competing at the Africa Cup of Nations. Losing Fernandes represents another significant setback, and the manager must devise a strategy to compensate for the absence of a player who has registered five goals and seven assists this season.

The Red Devils face Newcastle on Boxing Day, followed by another Old Trafford fixture against Wolves four days later. Two additional league matches precede the Manchester Derby on January 17 – trips to Leeds and Burnley – whilst Brighton will visit in the FA Cup on January 11.

At least United can welcome back Casemiro for the Boxing Day clash. The Brazilian missed the Villa encounter through suspension, but it was merely a single-match ban due to accumulated yellow cards.

Manuel Ugarte may retain his place after receiving an uncommon start at Villa Park. Lisandro Martinez presents another alternative, with the centre-half deployed in midfield after entering as a substitute, whilst young midfielder Jack Fletcher will be eager for additional minutes in the engine room following his Premier League debut at the weekend.

“We have other players, we need to maybe see different ways of playing,” Amorim said. “I think Jack Fletcher did a very good job, and that’s why when we have these opportunities, we need to give space to guys like Jack and the other ones.”

Addressing the absence of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, both ruled out of Sunday’s fixture due to injury, he continued: “We are still working with them. They are not available for this one, but let’s see for the next one.”