Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will not be able to call upon Bruno Fernandes this weekend for their clash with Aston Villa.
The Portuguese playmaker picked up a booking in the Red Devils’ slender victory at West Ham United - his fifth of the campaign - meaning he is now forced to serve a one-match suspension.
Since his arrival at Old Trafford, Fernandes has been an all-but ever-present in the heart of the United midfield so Ten Hag will be racking his brain as to who will replace him in the starting line-up.
Mirror Sport takes a look at the options that the Dutchman could potentially be set to call upon:
Christian Eriksen
Arguably one of United’s most attacking-minded midfielders at their disposal, the Dane looks to be the most natural replacement for Fernandes. Whilst he has played in slightly more of a deeper role since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer, Eriksen certainly has the capabilities of slotting into the number 10 role.
His eye for a pass would certainly be useful, as evidenced by his five assists for the Red Devils so far this season. He is also certainly a threat on the goalscoring front, too, having netted 69 times during his time with Spurs.
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Donny van de Beek
Should Ten Hag prefer to keep Eriksen in his usual position, then he might be tempted to turn to one of his former Ajax custodians Donny van de Beek.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, the Dutchman has really struggled to make an impression on the first team. However, the 25-year-old was handed an opportunity in Fernandes’ role in the recent victory over Real Sociedad, with his Portuguese team-mate stationed out wide.
Again, that would seem like a natural swap for Ten Hag to make but considering Van de Beek’s lack of Premier League minutes so far this term, the United boss might resist the calls to bring him in.
Marcus Rashford
Should the Red Devils go down the somewhat unconventional route, forward Marcus Rashford could potentially emerge as an option for the clash with Villa.
The United academy graduate is in some very bright form at the moment and was even tasked with playing at number 10 during his side’s trip to Spain after being introduced as a substitute.
That could lead to Cristiano Ronaldo starting the match with Rashford just slightly behind the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Fred
Despite the Red Devils having endured a miserable season last term, one of their bright spots was Brazilian midfielder Fred.
Often on the end of severe criticism, the signing from Shakhtar Donetsk was one of the Red Devils’ standout performers. He notched four goals and five assists in all competitions throughout the season - creativity that would certainly come in useful should he be moved slightly further forwards.
With Casemiro now able to shoulder the defensive responsibility in the side following his impressive start to life at Old Trafford, Fred could well be deployed in place of Fernandes.
Scott McTominay
Potentially the least likely route that Ten Hag will explore, Fred’s midfield colleague Scott McTominay could be called upon as an option.
He has displayed his attacking instincts in the past having accumulated seven goals throughout the 2020/21 season. With just six league starts and a handful of better options at Old Trafford, it seems highly unlikely that the Scot will be called upon as Fernandes’ replacement against Aston Villa though.
