Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is struggling to recapture his form from last season, and his team have collected just six points from their opening six Premier League games. It is their worst league start in 40 years. Fernandes has scored 111 goals in 335 appearances for the club.
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 huge 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 managed. 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 involved in nine of their 12 goals.
Statistically, it was remarkable. It was 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 this season’s figures are far less impressive.
A quieter 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 in the 4-0 win against Ipswich, the second game of the campaign and, so far, their only victory.
Those numbers are better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create a goal. However, Fernandes was then playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
This season, Fernandes is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure for shots, though his best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His average of 0.8 shots on target is joint-second lowest of his time at Old Trafford. His chance creation of 2.5 per game is also the second lowest of his career at the club, and down significantly on the 4.0 he returned last season.
More startling still, he has created just one ‘big chance’ so far this season. That was the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo running clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Fernandes averaged one big chance per game last season.
These figures, combined with his general involvement, go some way to explaining why United have struggled. The question is whether Fernandes is a reason for United’s malaise, or a symptom of it.
Fitness and team selection
There is uncertainty over the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes 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 completed the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 Champions League win against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
United 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 pieces
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes was at his most prolific, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role, while veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield. Fernandes created four of the nine league goals Sesko has scored in 2026. He also set up four of the final five goals Casemiro scored for United from 1 February onwards.
Quite aside from goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Casemiro’s departure for Inter Miami in the summer cannot fully explain United’s low running numbers, although his positioning and game knowledge were of a high standard. With him in the side, Fernandes could take risks, knowing 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 keenly felt, and there is, as yet, no end date.
The club’s power brokers ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and instead reinforced Carrick’s midfield. A plan to cover Sesko’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, the system feels restrictive. He is not a player who lacks confidence, but his decision-making appears to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes just to complete a pass.
On Monday, Carrick said that no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He put enough caveats around that comment to suggest that leaving out his captain is not in his thinking.
“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.”
United must start to improve, and that means Fernandes must do the same.
