Bruno Fernandes has scored 111 goals in 335 appearances for Manchester United, but his form this season has fallen well short of the standard he set last year. It is only seven weeks since he spoke of his pride at being named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26 at the Manchester Opera House.
The United captain had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ awards for his contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish. He 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, Fernandes either scored or created 12 of the 21 goals United managed. In the seven-game run that returned the club to Europe’s elite 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 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.”
A far less impressive start
Those words carry particular weight now, because this season’s numbers are far less impressive. Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. He has three goals and one assist, all coming against Ipswich in the second game of the campaign, which remains United’s only win so far.
The figures are actually better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created none. At that stage, however, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
This season is Fernandes’ second-highest for shots, at an average of 3.3 per game. His best was 3.5 in 2020-21. Yet it is also his joint-second-lowest for shots on target, at an average of 0.8. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is the second-lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
More startlingly, he has created just one “big chance” so far this season, a lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Last season, Fernandes averaged one per game.
These numbers, along with his general involvement, go some way to explaining why United have collected just six points from their opening six games. It is their worst league start 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 and the manager’s view
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 man was “playing through pain”.
Fernandes was nevertheless 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 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 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, while veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield.
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 as a United player from 1 February onwards.
Beyond goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Casemiro’s departure for Inter Miami in the summer cannot fully explain United’s current low running numbers, since 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.
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 was 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 found an effective way of dealing with 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.
What comes next
On Monday, ahead of the Champions League meeting with Atletico, Carrick said no-one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He added 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.”
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