Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been ruled out of Portugal’s Nations League clash against Norway on Sunday after suffering a fitness issue in the team’s 1-0 win over Wales.
Fernandes was substituted late in Thursday’s victory in Lisbon, with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus confirming that the midfielder will not feature in Oslo.
Jesus also revealed that Fernandes had been playing through pain in recent matches for Manchester United.
“In the game against Wales, we went in with all the available players but Bruno Fernandes came off with a complicated problem,” Jesus said.
“He said he’s been dealing with that pain for about three games, and that was one of the factors that prevented him from being at his usual level against Wales.
“He was my player, I know him perfectly. I’ve already spoken to him. I prefer not to risk him in this game and have him clean and in good physical condition for the Denmark game (in Copenhagen on Thursday).”
The decision means Fernandes will miss the opportunity to face Norway striker Erling Haaland for the second time this month.
Haaland scored the only goal when Manchester United suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby at Old
Trafford earlier this month.
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s five Premier League matches so far this season, while he also completed the club’s 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah.
The Portugal international was also introduced from the bench during United’s Carabao Cup match against Brighton as they attempted to recover from surrendering a two-goal lead.
Fernandes has been particularly influential for United this season, scoring a hat-trick in their 5-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich, which remains their only league win of the campaign.
United, managed by Michael Carrick, will return to Premier League action on October 10 when they host Tottenham.
For Portugal, Fernandes is expected to target a return for Thursday’s Nations League meeting with Denmark in Copenhagen, provided he recovers fully from the problem.
