Bruno Fernandes is struggling for form this season, and Manchester United’s captain has produced far fewer of the decisive contributions that marked his record-breaking last campaign. The Portugal playmaker has three goals and one assist in six Premier League games, and United have collected 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 Manchester United captain had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions of the award, in recognition of his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games of last season, of the 21 goals United scored, Fernandes either found the net himself or created 12 of them. 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 a central figure in nine of the 12 goals.
Statistically, it was remarkable, reminiscent of Eric Cantona in the 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 have particular resonance now, because compared with those exceptional statistics, there are far less impressive ones this season.
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. He has three goals and one assist, all of which came against Ipswich in the second game of the campaign, which remains his side’s only league win so far.
The numbers are actually better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create any. However, at that point, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
A dip in quality
While this season is Fernandes’ second-highest for actual shots, at an average of 3.3 per game, his best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His shots on target are at a joint-second lowest average of 0.8. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is also the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Even more startlingly, he has created just one “big chance” so far this season, the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo running clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Fernandes averaged one per game last season.
A combination of Fernandes’ numbers and his general involvement perhaps goes some way to explaining why United have collected just six points from their opening six games. That is their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, when Ron Atkinson was sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson.
But is Fernandes a reason for United’s malaise, or a symptom of it?
Fitness questions
There is uncertainty over the playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses a game, but he was left out of the recent Nations League encounter with Norway, as national team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting man was “playing through pain”.
However, Fernandes was fit enough to return for the final two internationals of the extended break. Before that, he completed the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 win against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK in the Champions League.
United manager Michael Carrick does not view it as an issue as he prepares his side to face Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
“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.”
The missing partners
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes’ contribution was at its most prolific, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role, while veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield.
Of the nine league goals Sesko has scored in 2026, Fernandes created four. He was also responsible for setting up four of the final five goals Casemiro scored as a Manchester United player from 1 February onwards.
Quite aside from goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Even Casemiro’s biggest admirers could not claim United’s current low running stats are down to the 34-year-old leaving for Inter Miami in the summer. However, his positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard. Fernandes could take risks in the belief that United would not be overrun on the counter-attack if he lost the ball.
As for Sesko, his fresh shin injury extends a lack of involvement that is being keenly felt, and for which there is, as yet, no end date.
The club’s decision-makers ignored calls to bring in more striking support in the summer and instead reinforced Carrick’s midfield. A plan to cover the Slovenian’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 was given the job instead, but he repeatedly dropped deep, into the space Fernandes was occupying, and the pair never really found an effective way of dealing with it.
For Fernandes, it feels restrictive. While he is not a player who lacks confidence, it does seem his decision-making is being affected. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes just to complete a pass.
Carrick said on Monday that no-one was “guaranteed” a place in his team, but he put enough caveats around that to suggest leaving out his captain is not in his thinking.
United must start to improve, and that means Fernandes must do the same.
“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.”
