Man Utd to ‘move fast’ for in-demand midfielder after Amorim gives Fernandes injury update | OneFootball

Manchester United will be waiting to learn the extent of the injury that forced Bruno Fernandes off against Aston Villa, but plans are already afoot to strengthen in midfield when the transfer window rolls around.

United are reeling from their 2-1 loss to Villa, in which Amorim felt they were the better team. Two moments of magic from Morgan Rogers ensured they came away from Villa Park empty handed, despite Matheus Cunha’s goal just before half time.

The biggest worry was Fernandes pulling up with an injury in the first half, which forced him off at the break – at which point Lisandro Martinez came on and fared better out of position than increasingly maligned midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

But the January transfer window will give United the chance to fix their midfield issues with a more natural solution.

Man Utd set to accelerate Ligue 1 midfield raid

United are preparing to accelerate in the race for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

That’s according to CaughtOffside, whose report claims Bouaddi is seen as someone who can be a central part of United’s midfield post-Casemiro.

United will face competition from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool for Bouaddi – and that’s just among their Premier League rivals – so they may need to move fast.

With that in mind, it’s claimed they are ready to move quickly, given how well they think the teenager would fit into Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

But with PSG and Real Madrid also in the mix for his signature, Lille are reported to have set an asking price in the region of €60m (£52.6m). The fact they extended his contract until 2029 earlier this month strengthens their hand.

However, Lille will be aware they can’t keep Bouaddi forever and that contract extension may just have been to protect his value, rather than to be taken as an expectation of how long he’ll stay there.

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Amorim gives Fernandes update as injury dents exit links

As for the extent of Fernandes’ hamstring injury, Amorim told Sky Sports: “I think it’s soft tissue so it’s going to be a while. We’ll see.

“We need to prepare all the guys that we have for the next game. We cannot use anything as an excuse. No one is going to remember these problems, so let’s cope with that. It will make us stronger.”

He added: “I think we were the better team today. We were unlucky, even with the injury of Bruno, but during the game even without him we were the better team. We blocked the transitions quite well and they did really well. We did a very good job that no one is going to remember tomorrow because what matters is the result.”

Fernandes’ injury came in the wake of fresh speculation about his future, with European reports claiming Bayern Munich have been preparing to offer €50m (£43.8m) for his services.

Long-term admirers of Fernandes, Bayern may now need to wait to see if he will even be fit by the end of January or if they’ll have to postpone their plans for the summer.

United in battle for wing-back

Elsewhere, United are embroiled in another transfer battle for a talented prospect: Atalanta wing-back Marco Palestra.

Currently on loan at Cagliari, the right-sided wing-back has been impressing so far this season, justifying Atalanta’s decision not to buckle when faced with interest from the likes of Liverpool for a permanent move in the summer just gone.

According to Caught Offside, United are that enamoured by Palestra that they are watching him ‘every week’.

However, they are just one of many in the queue for his signature, as Arsenal and Chelsea are also keeping him on their watch list regularly.

One way or another, United would be keen to improve their wing-back options in 2026 to get the most out of Amorim’s preferred system.