Manchester United handed double midfield blow in Tottenham clash with star set to miss three matches

Manchester United could be without two key midfielders for their next few Premier League fixtures after a double blow during their clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red card in the Old Trafford encounter, while teammate Kobbie Mainoo limped off with an injury in the wake of the first-half incident.

United captain Fernandes was given his marching orders when he caught James Maddison after slipping in midfield, an on-field decision from referee Chris Kavanagh that was upheld after being checked by VAR.

The Portuguese midfielder will serve a three-match ban following his red card and will miss the matches against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham United.

Things then went from bad to worse for United when midfielder Mainoo limped off the pitch in clear discomfort to be replaced by Mason Mount.

An update on the Mainoo will be expected in the coming days, with United typically waiting 24 hours before they can accurately determine the severity of any setback.

The double blow only further piles the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, who was dealt another blow when defender Harry Maguire missed the match due to a training ground injury earlier in the week. In his absence, United made three changes to their starting line up for the match, with Alejandro Garnacho, Manuel Ugarte and Matthijs de Ligt selected ahead of Amad Diallo, Christian Eriksen and Maguire.