Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that Bruno Fernandes has missed Manchester United 's game against Tottenham Hotspur through illness.
The Red Devils will be without their star midfielder for the crunch Premier League clash, having had their preparations thrown into disarray amid fears of a Covid-19 outbreak.
"Bruno is ill, unfortunately," Rangnick told MUTV. "He couldn't train yesterday and is therefore not available for the game. Hopefully, he will be back for Tuesday but, today, he is out."
The occasion on Tuesday is a Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid, but United's immediate focus will be on ensuring their chaotic Saturday ends with a win.
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A matter of hours before the match, the Red Devils were forced to alter their plans by switching bases from The Lowry hotel in Manchester city centre to their Carrington training complex and later travel to Old Trafford by car.
That followed a false positive coronavirus test for David de Gea, as back-up goalkeeper Dean Henderson had been readied to play due to his anticipated absence.
"David he had, to start with, a positive Covid test but, in the end, it turned out to be a false test," Rangnick explained. "We did another test after that and it was negative so that is why he can play."
While Fernandes' forced omission is a blow, having player of the season contender De Gea available is a major boost for United, as they welcome Antonio Conte 's inconsistent Tottenham.
Rangnick is well aware of Spurs' threat, having beaten Manchester City 3-2 three weeks ago in the shining light of some stunningly up-and-down form.
"We have watched enough games like we always do. We prepare our team for the next opponent, one of the best transitional teams in transitional moments with Heung Min-Son and Harry Kane," the acclaimed German coach told manutd.com.
"On the other hand they are also vulnerable at the back. There must be some reasons why they lost games against Burnley away, Middlesborough or against Wolves.
"We are fully aware about their assets and the strengths they have in their team with the style of football and that we can beat them on the day.
"They are playing in a 3-4-3 or a 5-2-3. At times they are very defensive and sit in a deep block waiting for the counter-attacking moments and their biggest threat is that combination with [Dejan] Kulusevski but even more so with Heung Min-Son and Harry Kane."
