Bruno Fernandes has produced a far less dazzling start to the season than the one that earned him a series of player of the year awards, and the drop-off is raising a difficult question for Manchester United: is he the cause of the club’s troubles, or a symptom of them?
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, in recognition of his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists in the Premier League, breaking a record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games of last season, he either scored or created 12 of the 21 goals United managed. In the seven-game run that carried United back into Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence, the 31-year-old was involved in nine of the 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 tell a much less impressive story.
A slow start under the numbers
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games this season. He has three goals and one assist, all of which came against Ipswich in the second game of the campaign, which remains United’s only win so far.
On the surface, those figures compare favourably with last season, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create a single goal. However, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred at that point.
His shooting volume is the second highest of his time at Old Trafford, at an average of 3.3 shots per game, although his best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His shots on target, however, are joint-second lowest, at an average of 0.8 per game. His chance creation stands at 2.5 per game, the second lowest of his time at the club and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
More startling still, he has created just one ‘big chance’ so far this season: the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. His average last season was one per game.
These figures help explain why United have collected just six points from their opening six games. It is their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, when Ron Atkinson was sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Fitness and fitness doubts
There is also 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, with national team boss Jorge Jesus saying the former Sporting man 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 the 4-0 Champions League win over Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
United manager Michael Carrick does not see it as a problem 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.”
Missing partners
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes was at his most prolific, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role, and veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield. Their absence is now being felt.
Of the nine league goals Sesko has scored in 2026, Fernandes created four. He also set up four of the final five goals Casemiro scored for United from 1 February onwards.
Beyond goals, the impact is clear. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, and United’s running numbers are down, but that alone does not explain it. The 34-year-old’s positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard. With him in midfield, Fernandes could take risks, confident 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 keenly felt, and for which there is, as yet, no end date.
The club’s power brokers ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and instead reinforced Carrick’s midfield. 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 job instead, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes was occupying, and the pair never found an effective way of handling it.
For Fernandes, it feels restrictive. He is not a player who lacks confidence, but his decision-making appears to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes just to complete a pass.
Carrick’s backing and the road ahead
Carrick said on Monday, as he looked ahead to the Champions League meeting with Atletico, that 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 with them.
“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.”
