Bruno Fernandes has scored three goals and provided one assist in Manchester United’s six Premier League games this season, yet his influence on the side has waned, and United’s start has been their worst in 40 years. The captain, who was named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26 only seven weeks ago, is now at the centre of questions about whether he is a cause or a symptom of the club’s problems.
Seven weeks ago, Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House and spoke of his pride at receiving the PFA award. He had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions, in recognition of 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 the 21 goals United netted. In the seven-game run that carried 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 recalled 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.
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six league games. His three goals and one assist all came against Ipswich in the second match of the campaign, which remains United’s only win so far.
The numbers are better than last season’s start, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created nothing. However, Fernandes was then playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
A dip in output
This season, Fernandes is taking more shots than at any point in his career except one. He averages 3.3 per game, behind only his best of 3.5 in 2020-21. His shots on target, however, average just 0.8 per game, which is his joint-second lowest figure. His chance creation has also fallen to 2.5 per game, the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he managed last season.
Most startling of all, 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 figures 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.
So is Fernandes a reason for United’s malaise, or a symptom of it?
Fitness and the manager’s view
There is also 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. Portugal 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 against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
United manager Michael Carrick does not see it as 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.”
The missing partners
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 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.
Beyond goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Even Casemiro’s biggest admirers could not claim United’s current low running stats are down to the 34-year-old leaving for Inter Miami in the summer. His positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard. With Casemiro behind him, Fernandes could take risks, trusting that 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 being keenly felt, and there is, as yet, no end date for his return.
The club’s decision-makers 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, it feels restrictive. He is not a player who lacks confidence, but his decision-making does seem to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes just to complete a pass.
What comes next
On Monday, as he looked ahead to the Champions League meeting with Atletico, Carrick said that no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He surrounded that comment with enough caveats 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.”