Bruno Fernandes has managed just three goals and one assist in Manchester United’s six Premier League games this season, a sharp drop from the form that earned him the PFA Player of the Year award only weeks ago. United have collected only 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 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 last season, breaking a record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games, he either scored or created 12 of United’s 21 goals. 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 involved in nine of their 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 carry particular weight now, because the numbers this season are far less impressive.
A Difficult Start
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. His three goals and one assist all came in the second game of the campaign, against Ipswich, which is still his side’s only league win so far.
The figures are better than last season’s opening spell, when he scored twice in the first six games and failed to create a single goal. At that point, however, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
This season, Fernandes is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest total, though his best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His average of 0.8 shots on target is his joint-second lowest. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is his second lowest at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Perhaps most striking, he has created just one “big chance” 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 struggled. The question is whether Fernandes is a cause of the malaise or a symptom of it.
Fitness Concerns
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 United’s 4-0 Champions League win over 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 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.
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 absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Even Casemiro’s biggest admirers could not claim United’s current low running numbers are down only to the 34-year-old’s summer departure for Inter Miami. His positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard, and Fernandes could take risks in the knowledge that United would not be overrun on the counterattack if he lost the ball.
As for Sesko, a fresh shin injury extends a lack of involvement that is being keenly felt, and there is no end date in sight.
The club’s decision-makers 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 took on the role, 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.
Carrick Backs His Captain
On Monday, ahead of the Champions League meeting with Atletico, Carrick said 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 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.”
