Is Bruno Fernandes’ form a symptom or a cause of Man Utd’s struggles?

Bruno Fernandes has produced a dramatic drop in output for Manchester United this season, just seven weeks after collecting the PFA Player of the Year award for 2025-26. The Manchester United captain has scored three goals and provided one assist in six Premier League games, and his side have collected just six points, their worst league start in 40 years.

Only seven weeks ago, Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House and spoke of his pride at receiving the PFA honour. He had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions of the award, recognising his phenomenal contribution to United’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 United’s 21 goals. 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 their 12 goals.

Statistically, it was a remarkable spell, 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 dip in output

Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games this season. His three goals and one assist all came in the second game, a 3-1 win against Ipswich, which remains United’s only league victory so far. That tally is still 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.

Fernandes is taking more shots this season than in any campaign except one. He averages 3.3 shots per game, behind only his 3.5 in 2020-21. Yet his 0.8 shots on target per game is his joint-second lowest figure, and his 2.5 chances created per game is the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford. Last season, he averaged 4.0.

Perhaps most striking, he has created just one ‘big chance’ so far, the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Last season, he averaged one per game.

These numbers, together with his general involvement, go some way to explaining United’s poor start. But is Fernandes a cause of the malaise, or a symptom of it?

Fitness and the system

Questions also surround the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses a game, but he was left out of the recent Nations League match against Norway, when Portugal boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting man was “playing through pain”. He returned for the final two internationals of the break, and he played the full 90 minutes in United’s 4-0 Champions League win against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.

Manager Michael Carrick does not see a problem 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.”

Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes was at his most prolific, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role, and veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored the midfield. Of Sesko’s nine league goals 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 now clearly felt. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, but his positioning and game knowledge were of a high standard, and they gave Fernandes the freedom to take risks, knowing United would not be overrun on the counter-attack if he lost the ball. Sesko’s fresh shin injury extends a lack of involvement that has no end date yet.

The club 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 took the role instead, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes occupied, and the pair never found an effective way of working around each other.

For Fernandes, the setup appears 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 pass.

On Monday, as he looked ahead to the Atletico meeting, 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.

“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 improve, and that means Fernandes must improve too.