Is Bruno Fernandes’ form a symptom or a cause of Man Utd’s struggles?
Bruno Fernandes has been one of Manchester United’s most influential players in recent seasons, but his output has dropped sharply in the early weeks of this campaign. He has three goals and one assist in six Premier League games, and United sit with just six points, their worst league start in 40 years.
It is only seven weeks since Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House and spoke of his pride at being named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26. The United captain had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions of the award, recognising his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish. He has now scored 111 goals in 335 appearances for the club.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists in that campaign, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.
Over the final 11 games of last season, Fernandes either scored or created 12 of the 21 goals United netted. In the seven-game run that swept United back into Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence, the 31-year-old was involved in nine of their 12 goals.
Statistically, it was remarkable. It recalled Eric Cantona’s 1995-96 title-winning campaign, when he scored in six successive games, five of them when United scored only once.
“It was a special season for me,” Fernandes told an appreciative audience. “I am very proud.
“But we don’t play tennis. We don’t play just for ourselves. We play for a team, we play for a club, we play for the fans. There is nothing more special than that.”
Those words carry particular weight now, because this season’s numbers are far less impressive.
A stark drop in output
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games this season. His three goals and one assist all came in the second game, a 3-1 win against Ipswich, which remains the only victory of the campaign so far.
The figures are better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created none. However, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred at that point.
This season, Fernandes is taking his second-highest number of shots, at an average of 3.3 per game. His best came in 2020-21, at 3.5 per game. However, his average of 0.8 shots on target is his joint-second lowest, and his chance creation of 2.5 per game is the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford. It also falls well short of the 4.0 he produced last season.
Even more startlingly, he has created just one big chance this season. That came with a lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Fernandes averaged one big chance per game last season.
These numbers, along with his general involvement, go some way to explaining why United have collected just six points from six games. Their worst league start in 40 years came under Ron Atkinson, who was sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson.
The question now is whether Fernandes is a reason for United’s malaise or a symptom of it.
Fitness concerns
There is uncertainty over the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses a game, but he was left out of the recent Nations League match against Norway. National team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting player was “playing through pain”.
Fernandes was fit enough to return for the final two internationals of the extended break. Before that, he played the full 90 minutes in United’s 4-0 Champions League win against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
United manager Michael Carrick does not see it as an issue as he prepares his side for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid.
“He was carrying something but that happens a lot,” Carrick said. “Players play with issues.
“It’s not ideal but it is manageable. Bruno is able to play. That is the commitment he has got.
“He is pretty much over it, was really bright in training this morning and is looking forward to the game.”
Missing support around him
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes was at his most prolific, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role. Veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield.
Fernandes created four of the nine league goals Sesko has scored in 2026. He also set up four of the final five goals Casemiro scored for United from 1 February onwards.
The absence of Sesko and Casemiro is now clearly being felt. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, and even his biggest admirers could not claim that United’s current low running numbers are down to his departure alone. His positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard. Fernandes could take risks because he trusted United would not be overrun on transition if he lost the ball.
Sesko’s fresh shin injury extends a spell without him, and there is no end date yet.
The club’s decision-makers ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and reinforced Carrick’s midfield instead. A plan to cover Sesko’s initial absence by using Mbeumo as a number nine had to be scrapped when Amad Diallo suffered an ankle injury just before the opening game at Hull. Matheus Cunha took the role, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes occupied, and the pair never found an effective way of dealing with it.
For Fernandes, that arrangement feels restrictive. While he is not a player who lacks confidence, his decision-making appears to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes to complete a pass.
Carrick backs his captain
On Monday, as he looked ahead to the Atletico match, Carrick said no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He surrounded that comment with enough caveats to suggest that leaving out his captain is not in his thinking.
United must improve, and that means Fernandes must improve too.
“He’s a top player, Bruno,” Carrick said.
“Sometimes things don’t quite go for you. Sometimes you have a spell of that.
“But he’s done some incredible things for this football club and he will do the same in the future, there’s no doubt about that.”