Is Bruno Fernandes Becoming a Problem for Manchester United?
Before we start, I think it’s important to acknowledge that over the last five seasons and a half, Bruno Fernandes has consistently been one of Manchester United’s but also one of the Premier League’s best players. Even when the team has been playing poorly, he has continued to shine, but even the best have rough spells, and Fernandes is no exception.
Bruno Fernandes: Is He An Issue Right Now?
In the previous six seasons. Bruno Fernandes has played a staggering 21,667 minutes of club football; that’s the equivalent of 240.7 full 90 minutes. That’s an average of 40.1 full 90’s every season without including internationals, where he’s represented Portugal at three major tournaments during that time.
Last year, world players’ union Fifpro said the Portugal international played 6,666 minutes between 15 September 2022 and 15 September 2023. This was more minutes than any other elite player [*Jeremy Clarkson voice*] in the world.
Despite these huge numbers, spells of bad form and baron patches have been exceptionally rare and almost unheard of… until now.
Whilst his current xG and xA numbers in the league have been very typical of what we have come to expect from Fernandes, the returns have been disappointing, with just one assist to show for it. This makes his return rate so far at 0.20 G/A per 90 as the worst return rate of his career. Even behind his seasons when 19 years old at Udinese (0.28 per 90) and when 17 at Novara in Serie B (0.34 per 90). This points to an uncharacteristically wasteful opening to the season.
Bruno has been asked in the past about his generally poor pass completion rate, and he explained that he takes more risks with his passing, trying to create chances, so it’s not something he particularly cares about. This is understandable, but now it is beginning to feel like he’s trying to play himself into form and is trying TOO hard to make the difference. Against Crystal Palace, he lost possession an incredible 34 times, according to SofaScore.
Losing the ball a handful of times trying to create something and make a difference is perfectly acceptable. Losing it 34 times is problematic and invites so much unnecessary pressure onto a defense that is still quite vulnerable and wastes valuable energy in the press trying to recover it.
What Should Happen With Bruno Fernandes Next?
This begs the question that fans are starting to ask: Does Erik ten Hag have a big decision to make regarding his club captain?
What has been the cause of this bad run of games for one of the most reliable players in the league? Is it the sheer number of games that he’s played over the last 5 years? Is it fatigue from a lack of preseason? Or is age catching up with him a bit? Regardless of the cause, there have been some excellent performances from new arrival Joshua Zirkzee & from Christian Eriksen dropping into that #10 space Bruno has called home since January 2019. Is it time to give Bruno Fernandes some time on the bench and give him some time to get back to his talismanic best?
In ten Hag’s first Manchester United season, goal-scoring and converting chances were notable issues. They scored 53 non-penalty goals from 65.3 npxG, placing them 18th in the league for their ability to convert xG into goals, with only Chelsea and Everton fairing worse. This season it’s a very familiar story. So far they have accumulated 9.5 npxG, which puts them 3rd in the league with Liverpool only 0.3 ahead and City 1.0 in front. However, United’s tally has only yielded 5 goals in return, placing them dead last in the non-penalty xG conversion table.
Could the solution to this problem be sacrificing an unusually wasteful and unclinical Bruno Fernandes for someone like Joshua Zirkzee who would enable Rasmus Højlund to occupy the #9 position? Or put an in-form Christian Eriksen in there to create a more stable midfield with Manuel Ugarte & Kobbie Mainoo in behind? I suspect that Erik ten Hag might be beginning to wonder the same thing.
The idea of a dynamic between Zirkzee and Højlund is quite exciting. You watch how Zirkzee drops in and holds the ball up with his brilliant technical ability and strength. It naturally draws defenders towards him and opens pockets of space where a deadly finisher will Højlund thrive.
Christian Eriksen’s incredible passing range and vision have always been remarkable, even world-class. If you put three lightning-quick players like Rashford, Højlund, and Garnarcho in front of him for him to try and play them in behind, it’s going to cause opposition defenses all kinds of trouble.
It’s been a mixed bag so far this season for Manchester United, and while there have been improvements, if issues like being able to find the back of the net continue to go unanswered, the mood music will quickly begin to shift. This could be a make-or-break moment for Erik ten Hag, where we find out if he has the guts to make the big decisions to better serve the team as a whole.
Personally, dropping the club captain and someone who has been such an important player over the last half a decade feels almost unthinkable. But then I think about how ineffective United have been in front of goal and feel compelled to say, Something has got to change. And that something right now is Bruno Fernandes.
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