Revealed: The rare reason Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes misses Premier League clash against Crystal Palace

Fernandes was nowhere to be seen when United confirmed their lineup before kick-off at Selhurst Park. The captain had been a doubt ahead of the game and clearly lost his battle to be fit in time for the trip to south London. Mason Mount replaced the Portuguese in the starting XI.

Fernandes' absence is particularly significant because of an astonishing record that he has maintained over his career. This is the first time since turning professional as a teenager in 2012 that he has been forced to miss a club game through injury. Fernandes has been ill twice, once in January 2017 while at Sampdoria and again in March 2022 since moving to Manchester. He has also occasionally been suspended, most recently last December, and even missed a pair of Portugal games because of a minor injury in March 2019. But he has never been unavailable for a club match due to injury - until now, 520 games into his career.

Erik ten Hag has played down the speculation about Fernandes' future at Old Trafford beyond this season, fuelled when the skipper himself spoke about the need for players to feel wanted by their club. "I know he is very happy to be here," the manager stressed.

Fernandes was touch and go as to whether he would be available to face Palace, so the hope is that he will be fit for Arsenal's visit to Old Trafford on May 12. That game is huge for United's own ambitions of avoiding a worst ever Premier League finish, but could also effectively hand the title to Manchester City.