Fernandes limps out of Old Trafford after 4-0 win, raising doubts for Manchester derby

Bruno Fernandes was spotted apparently limping as he left Old Trafford on Wednesday night after Manchester United’s 4-0 Champions League group-stage win over Sabah FK. Fan-filmed footage of the United captain moving gingerly while waving to supporters has prompted concern ahead of this weekend’s Manchester derby.

Fernandes played the full 90 minutes against the Azerbaijani side and showed no visible sign of injury during the match itself, which has led many to suggest the issue is unlikely to be serious. Still, with a derby against City at Old Trafford on the horizon, any doubt over the fitness of United’s captain and creative fulcrum will be closely monitored.

The result itself was a comfortable one. Matheus Cunha, Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez all got on the scoresheet as Michael Carrick’s side made a statement on their return to European football’s top table. United have now taken four points from their opening three Premier League games, a return Carrick acknowledged was below expectations.

“Results-wise, it hasn’t been the start we wanted,” Carrick said after the final whistle. “We wanted to have more points in the league but performance-wise there’s a lot of things in there that we were looking for and we’ve been pleased with.”

Carrick described the clean sheet as particularly important, pointing to defensive lapses in earlier fixtures. “We’ve conceded goals in different ways — one goal is in the top corner and sometimes you can do things about it, sometimes you can’t to a point. But I think collectively as a team we’ve done a lot of good things, and that’s why we’re kind of excited about what the season brings.”

The United manager also hinted at tactical and cultural shifts within the squad compared to last season. “There’s slightly different things happening in the team now that we probably didn’t have last season, in a good way, that we’re trying to get out of the players, and they’re showing that in a good way, so it’s really encouraging for me.”

With bragging rights against City on the line, United will be hoping Fernandes wakes up with no ill effects before the squad is assessed ahead of the weekend.