Bruno Fernandes has scored 111 goals in 335 appearances for Manchester United, but his form has dropped sharply this season, just seven weeks after he was named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26.
At the Manchester Opera House, the United captain spoke of his pride at the award. He had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions, in recognition of his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists last season, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games, he either scored or created 12 of the 21 goals United netted. In the seven-game run that returned United to Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence, the 31-year-old was involved in nine of the 12 goals.
Statistically, it was remarkable. It recalled Eric Cantona’s 1995-96 title-winning campaign, when he scored in six successive games, five of which United won by only one goal.
“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 this season’s numbers are far less impressive.
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. He has three goals and one assist, all of them coming in the second game of the campaign against Ipswich, which remains United’s only win so far.
Those figures are actually better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created nothing. However, he was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred at that point.
Worrying Numbers
This season, Fernandes is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure for total shots. His best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His average of 0.8 shots on target, however, is his joint-second lowest. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
More startlingly, he has created just one “big chance” so far this season. That was the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Last season, Fernandes averaged one big chance per game.
These numbers help explain why United have collected just six points from their opening six games. It is 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 Questions
Fernandes’ fitness also raises questions. He rarely misses a game, but he was left out of the recent Nations League match against Norway. National team boss Jorge Jesus said 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.
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
At the peak of Fernandes’ productivity last season, 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.
The absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Casemiro’s biggest admirers could not claim that United’s current low running numbers stem from his summer departure to Inter Miami, but his positioning and game knowledge were of a high standard. Fernandes could take risks because he trusted United would not be overrun on transition if he lost the ball.
Sesko’s fresh shin injury extends a spell without involvement, and there is no end date in sight.
The club’s decision-makers ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and reinforced Carrick’s midfield instead. 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 the role, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes occupied, and the pair never found an effective way to deal with it.
For Fernandes, the setup feels restrictive. He is not a player who lacks confidence, but his decision-making seems to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes to complete a single pass.
On Monday, Carrick said no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He added enough caveats, however, 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.”