Ruben Amorim confirmed that Manchester United will be without both Bruno Fernandes and Koby Menu in their Boxing Day match against Newcastle United, as both players remain in recovery.
On 24 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Ruben Amorim, Manchester United's head coach, confirmed that the team will be missing both Bruno Fernandes and Koby Menu in the Premier League Boxing Day fixture at home against Newcastle United, as both are still recovering from injuries.
Bruno Fernandes, the "Red Devils" captain, was injured during the first half of the league game in which Manchester United lost away to Aston Villa last weekend. Although he tried to continue playing until halftime, he was unable to return for the second half. In that match, Morgan Rogers scored twice to secure Villa's victory.
Koby Menu was injured during training just one day before the game against Villa but has shown good signs of recovery and is expected to return to play sooner than the captain.
Amorim commented on the readiness of both players:
"Not for this game. They are still recovering. I don't think it will take long, especially Menu, who should return sooner than Bruno."
When asked about the possibility of Bruno returning in time for the Manchester Derby against Manchester City on 17 Jan, Amorim responded cautiously:
"I don't want to set a date yet. I have an idea in mind, but we have to wait and see."
Amorim hinted that 18-year-old youngster Jack Fletcher might get playing time.
"We have other players as well. We may need to try different approaches," Amorim said.
"I think Jack Fletcher is doing very well, and that's why when we have the chance, we need to give players like Jack and others an opportunity to showcase their skills."
In addition to these issues, Amorim cannot use Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Ahmad Diallo, who are away representing their national teams in the Africa Cup of Nations, making the absence of Bruno an even bigger challenge for team selection.