The Portuguese got another 90 minutes under his belt in midweek, despite once again hindering the Red Devils' in attack.
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Bruno Fernandes has always been a frustrating player to watch. The former Sporting CP playmaker goes to ground too easily, riles up opponents constantly and never fails to lambast his own team-mates when things are going wrong. For the most part, all of that has been excused in Fernandes' time at Manchester United, because he has consistently made a decisive impact in the final third of the pitch.
But this season that is no longer the case. Fernandes' latest wince-inducing performance came in United's Europa League opener against Twente, which saw the Dutch side battle to a 1-1 draw in front of an exasperated Old Trafford crowd.
The hosts held a lead at the interval thanks to a fine Christian Eriksen strike, but surrendered it with 20 minutes left on the clock as the Dane was made to pay for a defensive mistake by Sam Lammers. "We were too easy-going, too complacent," Erik ten Hag told TNT Sports after the game. "We didn’t bring it over the line and as a team, you have to deliver this."
The United manager might as well have been talking directly to Fernandes, who was the most "complacent" player on the pitch. He has been for weeks now, but for some reason, remains undroppable. If the Red Devils are to turn their campaign around, and Ten Hag wants to save his job, that has to change. The captain has become a big problem that can no longer be ignored.
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Poor execution
According to Sofascore, Fernandes touched the ball 72 times against Twente, which reflects the fact that everything goes through him when United press forward. The 30-year-old never stops running or demanding the ball, and when he gets it, always looks for the most direct route to goal.
Unfortunately, his execution is falling well below the required standard. Fernandes lost possession 19 times on Wednesday night as the majority of his passes went astray and his first touch let him down.
Fernandes only created one chance in the game, too, and yet, he was allowed to stay on until the final whistle. It doesn't reflect well on Ten Hag, who made four substitutions after Twente's equaliser, but didn't consider taking off the man directly responsible for United's failure to keep control of the game.
Blind hope is the only explanation for that. Fernandes has shown in the past that he can deliver moments of magic out of the blue; that's what Ten Hag continues to cling to. But the Portuguese's risky style of play isn't reaping rewards anymore; it's just costing United dearly.
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Not making the right decisions
Fernandes has been ever-present for United in the Premier League so far this term, and has only been substituted once: in the 79th minute of their 2-1 away defeat to Brighton. In each of those games, Fernandes lost the ball over 10 times. In the 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace last time out, he ceded possession on 34 occasions, almost twice as many as any other United player.
United can't rely on Fernandes to make the right decisions. He will often just go for goal himself before picking his head up to see if a team-mate is in a better position, and his shooting has been erratic - to put it as kindly as possible.
The Portugal international has had the most shots without scoring of any player in Europe's top five leagues (17), and he's fourth in the Premier League rankings for most 'big chances' wasted (three). These numbers should be a major concern for Ten Hag.
Fernandes has yet to score in 2024-25, with his last Premier League goal coming back in April. He has bagged three assists this term, but two of those came in the 7-0 Carabao Cup rout of Barnsley, which was more like a training game for United. This feels like more than just a slump in form, then; Fernandes is showing signs of decline. That could be down to burnout, or just age, but either way, the midfielder should no longer be guaranteed a place in the starting XI.
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Cause of an imbalance
Fernandes has been the best United player of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. That's why the club handed him a contract extension through to 2027 in August, after months of transfer speculation.
"I believe there is a dream future at this club with the changes that are taking place," Fernandes told ESPN Brazil after penning fresh terms at Old Trafford. "I had concrete offers. There were other directions that would have been interesting for me, but I feel good here, I feel loved and I feel that the club has been very respectful of me."
At the time, the renewal was seen as another crucial statement of intent from United's new minority owners INEOS - helmed by Britain's richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Fernandes won his third Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in May, which was a deserved reward for his 28-goal contributions in an otherwise miserable campaign for the Red Devils.
Over the last four-and-a-half years, Fernandes has carried the team on his back, but United haven't really progressed as a collective. He's been given license to lead however he sees fit, which has caused an imbalance, particularly under Ten Hag.
"Ten Hag is giving him the freedom to go there, there, there," Gary Neville explained on Sky Sports at the start of the year, "and that means you can never have a combination or a pattern because you've got your main midfield player everywhere on the pitch. It's almost a bit like 20 years ago where your No.10, you gave them licence to play. That's gone now. You have to fit within a combination and a pattern and system of attacking shape."
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Need to experiment
United do have plenty of other options for the No.10 slot. Former Bologna and Bayern Munich star Joshua Zirkzee, who was signed to compete with Rasmus Hojlund for minutes upfront, has a natural tendency to drop deeper and link play, while wingers Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho are both versatile enough to move into a central role.
Mason Mount is fit again now, and the No.10 was his best position at Chelsea. Eriksen, meanwhile, enjoyed a resurgence in holding midfield recently, but he can also play further up the pitch, and is certainly better at keeping the ball circulating than Fernandes.
The visit of Twente represented the perfect time to give Fernandes a rest and experiment with a different combination, but Ten Hag let the opportunity pass him by. United can't be so dependent on one player if they are serious about getting back into the Champions League.
The Red Devils would likely be more efficient without Fernandes, and being dropped might be the wake-up call he needs. Fernandes has to evolve to help the club now, and that means sharing responsibility instead of trying to do everything on his own. Fernandes still has plenty to offer if he accepts that, but it won't happen unless Ten Hag reins him in.
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Really cut out for captaincy?
If United carry on as they are, their season will reach a crisis point, just as it did this time last year. Three wins from seven games in all competitions is simply not good enough. Discounting the Carabao Cup romp against Barnsley, Ten Hag's side have only scored six goals, and the results will only improve when they discover a clinical edge.
As per The Athletic, the Red Devils have racked up an impressive xG (expected goals) total in the Premier League, which can only be bettered by Liverpool, but they're sitting top for 'big chances' missed (17). Fernandes is certainly not the only one to blame for that, but he has been a chief offender when it comes to squandering clear openings.
Fernandes is not the composed finisher he once was. The captain's armband can be a heavy weight, and in the Portuguese's case especially, it looks like he's trying too hard.
"When you've got a technician as a skipper, I think it's always dangerous because they're going to have off games," former Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said on talkSPORT after watching Fernandes struggle in United's 3-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool on September 1. "Even [Christian] Eriksen in his prime, [Michel] Platini in his prime, they'd have the off day. I think it would be better for him as a footballer to take it off him. I think it might let him be a bit more free-minded. He's probably worrying about the back four, worrying about the wingers. You don't really know how to deal with it. I think it's a hamper to him."
It's true that Fernandes doesn't seem like the best fit for the captaincy. Lisandro Martinez would be better suited; he's a born leader with good communication skills and reads the game brilliantly.
Being relived of the leadership burden might stop Fernandes from forcing everything on the ball. He needs to get back to basics, or else supporters will soon run out of patience with him, and in turn, Ratcliffe will do the same with Ten Hag.
What's next?
Ten Hag finally took some responsibility for United's inconsistency after their false start in Europe, adding to TNT Sports: "It is not only the team, I have to look in the mirror as well. I am part of it." He could start by taking the blinkers off when it comes to Fernandes.
The Portuguese ace can no longer survive on his past reputation. It's Tottenham up next, and United cannot afford for Fernandes to have another stinker. A defeat against Ange Postecoglou's team will leave the Red Devils well off the top-four pace, which would be inexcusable at this early stage of the campaign.
Ten Hag needs his midfielders to be methodical and his forwards to be ruthless. Spurs have the firepower to pick United off if they're not. Fernandes will probably get the nod again, though, and so the fans are in for another nail-biting afternoon.
When everything comes off for Fernandes, there is no issue, but that hasn't been the case for some time. Ten Hag is edging closer to the point of no return, and his blind faith in United's enigmatic skipper may end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back for the INEOS regime.
- James Westwood
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