Only seven weeks ago, Bruno Fernandes stood at the Manchester Opera House collecting the PFA Player of the Year award for 2025-26. It capped an extraordinary individual campaign in which the Manchester United captain scored nine goals and provided 21 assists, breaking the Premier League record previously shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Those numbers helped United secure an unexpected third-place finish and return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Across the final 11 league matches, Fernandes scored or created 12 of United’s 21 goals. During the seven-game surge that secured European qualification, he was involved in nine of their 12 goals.
Yet the contrast with this season could hardly be sharper. United have taken just six points from their opening six Premier League fixtures, their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, and Fernandes’ influence has dipped noticeably.
Fernandes’ Declining Numbers
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six league games and has three goals and one assist. All four contributions came against Ipswich in only the second match of the season, which remains United’s sole league victory.
At first glance, those figures are better than his return at the same stage last season, when he had two goals and no assists. But the context is different: at that point, he was operating in the deeper midfield role favoured by former manager Ruben Amorim.
This season, however, deeper analysis reveals a worrying drop in his creative output. He is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure at United, but only 0.8 shots on target per match, jointly his second-lowest return.
His chance creation has also fallen to 2.5 per game, compared with 4.0 last season. Most strikingly, he has created only one big chance so far: the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo through against Ipswich on 30 August. Last season, he created one big chance per game on average.
Injury or System Problem?
There are also questions over Fernandes’ physical condition. Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus revealed during the recent international break that the midfielder had been “playing through pain,” leading to his omission from the Nations League fixture against Norway.
Fernandes returned for Portugal’s final two matches and had earlier completed 90 minutes in United’s 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah FK. United manager Michael Carrick, however, does not believe fitness is a major concern ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Atletico Madrid.
“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 Sesko and Casemiro
Fernandes’ decline may also be linked to the absence of two players who shaped United’s strongest spell last season: Benjamin Sesko and Casemiro.
Sesko was regularly deployed as United’s number nine during the second half of last term, while Casemiro provided the defensive stability that allowed Fernandes to take risks higher up the pitch. Of Sesko’s nine league goals in 2026, Fernandes created four. He also assisted four of the final five goals Casemiro scored for United from 1 February onwards.
Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, while Sesko is currently sidelined with a shin injury. United chose not to sign additional striking cover during the transfer window, instead strengthening their midfield.
The plan to use Mbeumo as a temporary number nine was disrupted when Amad Diallo suffered an ankle injury shortly before the opening league game at Hull. Matheus Cunha was instead asked to lead the line, but his tendency to drop deep often brought him into the same spaces Fernandes occupies, limiting the captain’s freedom.
A Captain Under Pressure
Fernandes’ frustration was evident during United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham, a match in which it took him 23 minutes to complete a pass. United also failed to win despite having a man advantage for much of the game, with Dominic Solanke heading a stoppage-time equaliser for Spurs.
Carrick has made it clear that no player is guaranteed a starting place, but his comments suggest dropping his captain is not currently under consideration.
“No one is guaranteed a place in the team,” Carrick said ahead of the Atletico fixture, while adding enough caveats to indicate Fernandes remains central to his plans.
The United manager remains confident that the Portuguese playmaker will rediscover his best form.
“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.”
For now, Fernandes’ struggles appear to reflect both individual decline and a wider Manchester United problem: a side lacking the structure, movement and finishing quality needed to make the most of their most creative player.
