Is Bruno Fernandes the Biggest Problem at Manchester United?
The Manchester United, led by coach Ruben Amorim, faces a series of significant challenges. From the lack of a reliable goalkeeper to the scarcity of goals from their forward line, and the missed penalties that have become a constant, the team seems to be at a crossroads. However, the question that resonates is: has Bruno Fernandes, the team’s best player and captain, become Manchester United’s biggest problem? Following the humiliating Carabao Cup elimination against Grimsby Town, from League Two, United’s worst defeat in the competition, solving the enigma of how to get the best version of Fernandes might seem trivial. However, it could be the root of the problems that threaten Amorim’s continuity in the position. Fernandes is United’s talisman. Even in the disastrous 2024-25 season, when the team finished in 15th position in the Premier League, their worst result since relegation in 1974, and lost the Europa League final against Tottenham, the 30-year-old contributed 19 goals and 19 assists. Without those figures, United could have suffered relegation to the EFL Championship. Despite being United’s best player, the team continues to perform below expectations with him on the field, which raises questions about his compatibility with Amorim’s 3-4-3 system and whether, despite his talent, he is an element that does not fit into the tactical scheme. We analyze whether Manchester United’s best player has become the team’s biggest problem. Does Fernandes fit into the Manchester United system? Amorim is committed to the 3-4-3 system that gave him two league titles at Sporting CP. The only variation is when United plays with a 3-4-2-1. Fernandes has been used in an advanced position, as one of the two players behind the center forward, or as a central midfielder alongside Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte. Fernandes lacks the tactical discipline to play in a defensive midfielder role, and his natural creativity leads him to abandon his more withdrawn position. The system does not adapt to his abilities.
With Portugal, who plays with a 4-2-3-1, Fernandes is positioned in the center of the three players behind the center forward, with the security of two defensive midfielders behind him.The 3-4-3 covers all areas of the field, but you need to have the right players for it. The wing-backs have to be very athletic and the two central midfielders have to be dynamic and dominant. United doesn’t have any of those qualities.
Robson
Would Fernandes adapt to the system with different players?
The problem could lie with the players with whom he shares the midfield. Casemiro, Ugarte, and Mainoo have played as central midfielders alongside Fernandes, but they lack speed and mobility. Fernandes’ strengths are his creativity and offensive instincts, but with players who are not very mobile by his side, any advance leaves United exposed.If you had Declan Rice alongside Fernandes, he could play as a central midfielder. But if you wanted to build a team around him, you would have to sign new players. He can’t play in midfield with Casemiro.
Robson
Could Fernandes be a weak link? There are defensive weaknesses in Fernandes’ game, a problem addressed by the Portugal coach, who uses him in an offensive role. There have also been times when his lack of emotional control has affected his performances. From a football perspective, Fernandes’ habit of chasing the game and doing too much has been identified by Amorim, who says it’s because his captain lacks “confidence” in his teammates.Fernandes can be a very influential player, but he needs to be in a team that dominates possession, and United is not doing that at the moment.
Robson
In Robson’s opinion, Fernandes’ lack of athleticism is what holds him back as a midfielder in the United team.Sometimes, when we don’t play well, he changes position and goes for the ball. But sometimes, he needs to trust his teammates a little more to allow them to do their job and help him play better.
Amorim
The benefits of Fernandes If we simplify the sport into its basic parts, we would arrive at something like this: shooting at goal, creating chances, moving the ball around the field, and regaining possession. Let’s start by shooting at the goal and scoring. Since the beginning of last season in the Premier League, Fernandes has attempted 96 shots with Manchester United, 12 more than Alejandro Garnacho. He has scored eight goals, tied with Amad Diallo as the team leader, and has generated 7.8 expected goals without a penalty, 0.5 more than Garnacho. What about chance creation? If we look at expected goal assists (the value of each shot attempted from a player’s passes), he has 8.8, 3.8 more than Diallo. And if we look at expected assists (the combined probability that each pass made by a player will become a goal, whether or not a shot is attempted by the receiver), it’s 8.3 for Fernandes, 4.2 for Diallo. United have attempted 146 shots in the two actions following a completed pass by Fernandes, 78 more than any other player. Although Fernandes is not necessarily outperforming many players in one-on-one situations, he still carries a heavy load when it comes to moving the ball forward. He has dribbled a total of 4,077 yards towards the opposing goal since the start of last season, again, significantly more than Garnacho’s 3,245 yards. In terms of passing the ball towards the opposing field, he has completed 340 progressive passes (227 more than any other United player), 225 passes into the final third (100 more than any teammate) and 87 passes into the penalty area (49 more than the next best in the club). If United decided to do without Fernandes, they would not only be replacing a player. They would be replacing their most dangerous goalscorer, their most creative passer, their most important player in build-up play, and their most active defensive presence. Should Manchester United rebuild without Fernandes? There has been a long-standing interest in Fernandes from Saudi Pro League clubs, dating back to the summer of 2024, when he seriously considered leaving Old Trafford before signing a new three-year contract. Al Hilal offered Fernandes a lucrative contract to move to Saudi Arabia earlier this summer, and United were willing to listen to offers of around £100 million, but Fernandes again rejected the possibility of moving to the Middle East. Al Ittihad is the latest Saudi club to have made a proposal to Fernandes before a possible late transfer before the deadline, but that attempt seems unlikely to succeed. But with United in need of funds for signings to rebuild the squad, would it really be a hard blow to lose Fernandes for a substantial sum? If Fernandes were to leave, United could sign Baleba and/or Wharton and address the problem of a lack of athleticism in their midfield. Amorim would be left without his best player and captain, but perhaps United could become a more complete team. When asked about the possibility of Fernandes leaving for Al Hilal in May, Amorim insisted that he wanted Fernandes to stay. “We want to keep the best players,” Amorim said. “And Bruno is clearly one of the best players in the world. We want Bruno here.” Despite Fernandes’ flaws, Robson says it’s hard to imagine being better off without him.I don’t think you can play modern football and be a world-class player if you can’t run. As a player, you want things to happen and you want to be on the ball, which is commendable, but when things go wrong and the team is suffering, he’s usually somewhere he shouldn’t be. If the game stretches, Bruno will make things happen with the ball, but he can’t defend well enough.
Robson
No, I don’t think it would be better because there isn’t enough creativity in the team as it is. I don’t see any kind of game patterns. Really, the answer is the players around Bruno, more than Bruno himself.
Robson
