New experiment and wildcard option - three ways Man United can handle Bruno Fernandes absence

Manchester United will have to make do without captain Bruno Fernandes when they face Fenerbahce in their latest Europa League outing at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Thursday evening.

The Portuguese international will be unavailable through suspension after being sent off in United's 3-3 draw with FC Porto earlier this month. He was dismissed with 81 minutes on the clock, earning a second yellow card for a high boot.

It means manager Erik ten Hag will be forced into making one change at the very least from Saturday's morale-boosting 2-1 win over Brentford, in which Fernandes produced an excellent assist for Rasmus Hojlund to score United's winning goal.

READ MORE: United fans angry and disappointed after 'shocking' Sir Jim Ratcliffe change

READ MORE: United included special talent in first-team squad and City might have regrets

Despite not being at his very best so far this term, Fernandes will still leave a huge void at the tip of United's midfield that will need filling. With that said, MEN Sport has analysed three solutions Ten Hag could consider to deal with the absence of his skipper.

Having resurrected his United career in recent weeks, starting seven of the last eight matches, Christian Eriksen may consider himself as a shoo-in to replace Fernandes in the attacking-midfield role. The Dane started the weekend's win over Brentford, starting in a more reserved role alongside Casemiro.

However, Eriksen is not short on experience in the No.10 berth, meaning Ten Hag would undoubtedly trust him to operate slightly higher up the pitch and conduct the role of architect-in-chief. He was one of the Premier League's finest No.10s during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

Should the Dane be ordered to take up a higher