Bruno Fernandes absence paves way for new Manchester United star to release Cristiano Ronaldo

Many Manchester United fans were worried when the pre-match squad news ahead of the key Premier League fixture against Tottenham started to emerge on Saturday afternoon.

The squad had travelled separately to the ground instead of as part of a single coach, ensuring a long wait to see who was available for the game after rumours of illness and David de Gea returning a false-positive test result for COVID-19.

And those supporters' worst fears came true when Bruno Fernandes' absence due to illness was confirmed ahead of kick-off at Old Trafford.

Despite not hitting the heights with goals that he hit last season, he has still been United's most creative player this season and an important player for the team when their backs were against the wall. A six-pointer in the race for the top four with Spurs certainly met that description and defeat would surely have ended any chances of the club qualifying for the Champions League through the league.

Given Fernandes' absence, Ralf Rangnick was forced to play a midfield three combination lining up together for the first time this season. Nemanja Matic was deployed as the lone six with Paul Pogba and Fred as dual eights either side of the Serb.

Many fans would have expected in this setup that Pogba would steal the headlines given his capacity for being a matchwinner in this United side. But the Frenchman seemed to be constantly targeted by the Spurs midfield and never really get going as he was closely shackled by Rodrigo Bentancur.

But while Spurs were so focused on stopping Pogba, they seemed to forget about Fred and the Brazilian was allowed to roam free as a result. It proved to be part of their undoing.

Most United fans know what Fred offers from a defensive perspective