Bruno Fernandes' first Man Utd crisis - who is to blame?
James Shearman
- 27 Oct 2021 09:45 CDT
- 4 min read
Bruno Fernandes is going through the toughest spell of his Manchester United career to date.
The Portuguese midfielder enjoyed a remarkable first 18 months at Old Trafford, guiding the Red Devils to two 'top four' finishes that may not have been achieved without his signing.
He made an instant impact when he joined the club from Sporting Lisbon midway through the 2019/20 campaign, registering eight goals and seven assists in 14 Premier League games.
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The 27-year-old then followed that up with 30 goal contributions in 35 league starts last season, earning comparisons to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne.
However, such is his influence on United that his recent dip in form has coincided with the team's, as calls for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be sacked have reached an all-time high.
In fact, since his opening day hat-trick at home to Leeds, Fernandes has managed just one goal and two assists in the last seven Premier League matches - a standard much lower than his usual.
So, what is wrong with Manchester United's main man?
Reasons for Fernandes' struggles
Ronaldo stealing his spotlight
Last season, in particular, Manchester United were the Bruno Fernandes show, as he operated in a 'do it all' attacking midfield role.
Leading the team in goals and assists, it looked as though the Portugal international had taken on talismanic responsibility of the club, much like Eric Cantona in the 1990's.
Either by pure quality or sheer willpower, Fernandes dragged his team over the line in games United had no business winning.
However, since the arrival of Ronaldo, it appears pressure has been alleviated from the 27-year-old's shoulders, making it seemingly less necessary for him to carry the team on his back.
Bruno Fernandes was reportedly prepared to leave Manchester United over the European Super League plans and more specifically the no-relegation concept
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 20, 2021
Though, while Ronaldo will always remain the biggest name at the club, Fernandes should continue believing he is the best and most important player.
Paul Pogba dilemma
With Fred and Scott McTominay behind, Fernandes has license to free roam the spaces in between the opposition's defence and midfield.
The pair of holding midfielders have little to no desire to push forward, leaving the ex-Sporting star a large area to occupy by himself.
But, since the signings of Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, as well as the return of Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba has been pushed back into one of the central midfield roles to accommodate the plethora of attacking options in manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.
The issue is that Pogba's exceptional technical ability means he is wasted in a deep-lying position, so he tends to venture forward to where he can have a larger impact on the outcome of the game. And, as such, he leaves space behind for the opposition to exploit.
It should be a simple decision for Solskjaer, move Pogba to the left or to the substitutes' bench and hand the reigns to United's attacking play back to the 'Portuguese magnifico'.
However, against Liverpool, Solskjaer decided to drop Pogba and a 5-0 thrashing entailed. It is now up to Bruno to shine against Tottenham on Saturday or the man who brought him to Manchester could be without a job.
