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Manchester United entered the Premier League contest against Aston Villa without Amad, Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt.
The first three have been called up by their respective countries for AFCON, while the Dutchman and England international have been sidelined for a few weeks now.
Then came another blow in the build-up to the game, with Kobbie Mainoo sidelined with an injury he picked up in training.
There was a lot of chatter surrounding his potential inclusion given Casemiro’s one-match suspension. However, Ruben Amorim dropped the bomb before the game.
Kobbie Mainoo injury
“He got an injury in the last training,” he told Sky Sports. “After training, he went to the doctor. He got something in his calf. We are going to assess but he is out of this game.
“Of course [it is bad timing], not just for the team but for him to have this problem. These are reminders that we need to focus on everything we can control and leave the rest to the destiny.
“Would he have started?”
“I’d prefer not to say. He knows”Ruben Amorim explains why Kobbie Mainoo hasn’t travelled to Villa Park this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/90iZuYy6aJ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 21, 2025
“He is going to be fine in the few weeks, I think, I don’t know. Let’s focus on the players that we have and are ready to play.”
As a result, Manuel Ugarte started in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and endured a shocker. And in even more bad news, the club captain also hobbled off at half-time due to injury.
As a result, the Red Devils ended up losing 1-2 at Villa Park, despite a hard-fought performance.
Amorim even handed two academy debuts, with Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey making their bows, while Lisandro Martinez came on for the skipper.
Newcastle fixture becomes even tougher
After the game, the head coach confirmed that both Kobbie Mainoo and the Portugal international will miss the Newcastle game.
The England international is likely to return to action sooner than Fernandes.
“I think Kobbie might be out [against Newcastle], Bruno is out, so we will see, we are going to find solutions, no excuses, we need to win the next game and we will try to win the next game.”
Hopefully, the Red Devils can fight tooth and nail at Old Trafford on Boxing Day to remind fans and all the other teams that this club will never lie down, but always bounce back irrespective of the odds.
Feature image George Wood via Getty Images
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