Bruno Fernandes has endured a poor start to this season, a sharp contrast with the record-breaking campaign that earned him the PFA Player of the Year award in August, as Manchester United have collected just six points from their opening six league games.
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 Manchester 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, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games of last season, of the 21 goals United scored, Fernandes either found the net himself or created 12 of them. 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 a central figure in nine of the 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 compared with those exceptional statistics, there are far less impressive ones this season.
A slow start to the season
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. 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.
The numbers are actually better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create any. However, at that point, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
While this season is Fernandes’ second-highest for shots, at an average of 3.3 per game (his best was 3.5 in 2020-21), it is his joint-second-lowest for shots on target, at an average of 0.8. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is also the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Even more startlingly, he has created just one ‘big chance’ so far this season, the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo running clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Fernandes averaged one per game last season.
A combination of these numbers and his general involvement perhaps goes some way to explaining why United have collected just six points from their opening six games, 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 national team
There is uncertainty over the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses a game, but he was left out of the recent Nations League encounter with Norway, as national team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting man was “playing through pain”.
However, 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 win against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK in the Champions League.
United manager Michael Carrick does not view 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.”
The missing support around him
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes’ contribution was at its 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 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 to the 34-year-old leaving for Inter Miami in the summer. However, his positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard, and Fernandes could take risks in the belief that United would not be overrun on the counter-attack if he lost the ball.
As for Sesko, a fresh shin injury extends a lack of involvement that is being keenly felt, and for which there is, as yet, no end date.
The club’s decision-makers ignored calls to bring in more striking support in the summer and instead reinforced Carrick’s midfield. A plan to cover the Slovenian’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 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. While he is not a player who lacks confidence, it does seem his decision-making is being affected. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes just to complete a pass.
Carrick’s stance and what comes next
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 put enough caveats around that comment to indicate that leaving out his captain is not in his thinking.
United must start to improve, and that means Fernandes must do the same.
“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.”