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Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus has disclosed that creative midfielder Bruno Fernandes — a key figure for both his national side and Manchester United — has been "playing through pain" with a "complicated" injury spanning at least three matches, raising concerns over his availability in the coming weeks.
Fernandes has built a reputation for remarkable durability. Since his arrival at Manchester United in 2020, the midfield maestro has been sidelined by injury on just five occasions and once through illness. However, age catches up with every athlete. Half of those rare absences occurred last season alone, and it has now emerged that Fernandes has been managing a persistent problem for several weeks.
"He arrived here carrying an injury from United and, as he himself acknowledged, has been playing through that pain for around three games now," Jesus told reporters this weekend. "That was one of the reasons he didn't perform to his usual level against Wales."
Jesus deployed Fernandes in an uncharacteristic left wing position during Thursday night's encounter with Wales in Lisbon, keeping the 32-year-old on the field until a 90th-minute substitution. He is unlikely to feature as prominently in Portugal's next outing.
How Many Games Will Bruno Fernandes Miss Through Injury?
At present, it appears Fernandes will sit out just one Portugal fixture — Sunday's match against Norway in Oslo — as a precautionary measure to ensure he is fully fit for the trip to Denmark on Thursday, Oct. 1.
"I know him very well," Jesus said of his fellow Portuguese. "I've already had a conversation with him. I'd prefer not to risk him in this game and have him fully recovered and in peak physical condition for the match against Denmark."
Fernandes took part in the squad's training session at Ullevaal Stadion ahead of this weekend's contest against the World Cup quarterfinalist, casually passing the ball around with his teammates. Despite Jesus describing the injury as "complicated," anything more serious would almost certainly have resulted in Fernandes being sent back to Manchester.
United face a demanding run of fixtures when club football resumes next month, starting with a must-win Premier League encounter against a Tottenham Hotspur side in considerable turmoil. Roberto De Zerbi's position is under scrutiny in north London, but the capital club would draw level on points with Manchester United should they claim victory at Old Trafford on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Carrick also has three Champions League fixtures to manage before the next international break, along with league assignments against the likes of Leeds United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. Given his track record of playing through discomfort, Fernandes stands a strong chance of appearing in most, if not all, of those games. But should he really be expected to take that risk?
Is Michael Carrick Partially to Blame for Fernandes's Injury Scare?
If Jesus's account of Fernandes's difficulties aligns with his final three appearances for United, it would suggest the seasoned midfielder first picked up this undisclosed problem during the club's Champions League opener against Sabah SK.
It speaks volumes about the lack of depth in Carrick's squad that he felt it necessary not only to start Fernandes against the relative underdogs from Azerbaijan, but to keep him on for the entire 90 minutes. United led 3–0 at the break and, as the manager later explained, injuries to other starters forced his captain into an extended evening on the pitch.
"He has played a great deal, but I think we're building the group and the squad to be able to manage that in different ways," Carrick maintained.
A reluctance to field a side without Fernandes is understandable. The Carabao Cup home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month was one of the rare occasions United started without their captain. Fernandes watched from the bench as his side took and then surrendered a two-goal advantage, entering the fray too late to prevent a damaging 3–2 defeat.