Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has sparked fitness concerns ahead of the Manchester derby after he was spotted seemingly limping as he left Old Trafford following the team's 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah FK.
Michael Carrick's side secured a resounding triumph in their Champions League comeback, with goals from Matheus Cunha, Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez dispatching the Azerbaijan outfit.
Fan footage raises alarm
United thoroughly deserved their victory, though fitness worries emerged post-match when a supporter shared a video of Fernandes appearing to limp as he departed the stadium. The Portuguese midfielder was filmed leaving the ground alongside United personnel, moving gingerly as he waved to fans before heading home.
Fernandes completed the entire 90 minutes in the Champions League fixture, with the 32-year-old showing no signs of discomfort during the match itself, suggesting any issue is likely minor.
Derby day concerns
Nevertheless, the footage understandably raised alarm bells among supporters, with United returning to action this weekend when they face bitter rivals Manchester City in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. With local pride on the line, United will be desperate for Fernandes to be fully available and at peak performance.
Carrick described the Sabah victory as the 'perfect' Champions League return, but is demanding his team maintain their momentum, having collected four points from their opening three Premier League fixtures.
Carrick's assessment
Speaking following the final whistle, he said: "We're always pushing for more. Results-wise, it hasn't been the start we wanted."
"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."
"And there's certainly things to improve, you know. I think a clean sheet tonight was important for us."
"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, and not game-to-game so much of getting too carried away."
"We want to keep progressing through the season, we want to keep pushing."
"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."
