Steve Bruce reveals why he had to take off Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez

Federico Fernandez lasted just 45 minutes against Fulham – as he continued to recover from Covid-19.

Published 20th Dec 2020, 07:00 BST- 1 min read

Updated 20th Dec 2020, 07:41 BST

Bobby Decordova-Reid is challenged by Federico Fernandez.

The Newcastle United defender was taken off at the break in last night’s 1-1 draw against Scott Parker’s side at St James’s Park.

Fernandez – who was one of the players to test positive for Covid-19 – had also played against Leeds United in midweek. and the 31-year-old is still suffering from the after-effects of the disease, which forced the closure of the club’s training ground and the postponed of a game against Aston Villa earlier this month.

“He was just struggling with fatigue,” said head coach Steve Bruce. “It’s caused through illness, we think. As I’ve said many times, that’s the problem. The virus can prove negative, but it’s the after-effects and the fatigue side of it.”

Bruce was without a number of players, including Jamaal Lascelles, Allan Saint-Maximin, Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo, against Fulham.

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