Just seven weeks after Bruno Fernandes accepted the PFA Player of the Year award for 2025-26, the Manchester United captain is struggling to repeat his form. His numbers this season are well down on last term, and United have collected just six points from their opening six Premier League games.
Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House in August and spoke of his pride in the honour. He had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions of the award, recognizing his huge contribution to United’s unexpected third-place finish. He scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists in the league, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.
Across the final 11 games of last season, Fernandes 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 remarkable, and it recalled Eric Cantona’s 1995-96 title-winning campaign.
“It was a special season for me,” Fernandes said. “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. Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six league games. He has three goals and one assist, all coming in the second game of the campaign, a win against Ipswich, which remains United’s only victory so far.
The numbers are better than last season’s start, 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.
Shooting and creating figures dip
This season, Fernandes is taking the second-most shots of his United career, averaging 3.3 per game. His best was 3.5 in 2020-21. Yet his 0.8 shots on target per game is joint-second lowest of his time at Old Trafford. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is his second-lowest figure at the club and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Most startlingly, he has created just one “big chance” so far. That came with a lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August. Last season, Fernandes averaged one big chance per game.
Those figures help explain why United have made such a poor start. Their six points are their worst league start in 40 years, when Ron Atkinson was sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson. The key question is whether Fernandes is a cause of United’s malaise or a symptom of it.
Fitness and team setup
Questions also surround the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses games, but he was left out of the recent Nations League match against Norway. Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting player was “playing through pain.” Fernandes returned for the final two internationals of the break, and 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 a problem as he prepares his side for 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.”
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. 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 onward.
The absence of both players is now clear. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, and his departure cannot fully explain United’s low running numbers, but his positioning and game knowledge were of a high standard. With him gone, Fernandes lost the security of knowing United would not be overrun on transition if he lost the ball. Sesko, meanwhile, has a fresh shin injury, extending a lack of involvement that has no end date.
The club ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and instead reinforced Carrick’s midfield. A plan to use Mbeumo as a number nine during Sesko’s initial absence was scrapped when Amad Diallo suffered an ankle injury before the opening game at Hull. Matheus Cunha was given the role instead, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes occupied, and the pair never found an effective way to deal with it.
For Fernandes, that setup 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 no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team, but he added enough caveats to suggest that leaving out his captain is not in his thinking. United, though, 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.”
