Bruno Fernandes has struggled to replicate last season’s brilliance, and Manchester United’s worst league start in 40 years has put his form under scrutiny. The captain has 111 goals in 335 appearances for the club, but he has managed only three goals and one assist in six Premier League games this season, all of them coming against Ipswich.
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’ awards, in recognition of his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists over the campaign, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games of last season, he either scored or created 12 of United’s 21 goals. 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 a central figure 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 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 numbers are far less impressive.
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. His three goals and one assist all came in the second match of the campaign, the win over Ipswich, which remains his side’s only victory so far. Those returns are better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created none. However, Fernandes was then playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
Shots, chances and creation
This season, Fernandes is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure for shots, behind the 3.5 he managed in 2020-21. Yet his average of 0.8 shots on target is joint-second lowest of his time at Old Trafford. His chance creation, at 2.5 per game, is also his second-lowest figure at the club 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, and his general involvement, go some way to explaining why United have collected just six points from their opening six games. It is their worst start to a league campaign in 40 years, when Ron Atkinson was eventually sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson.
But is Fernandes a reason for United’s malaise, or a symptom of it?
Fitness and the manager’s view
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. 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.
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 support on the pitch
At 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.
Aside from goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, so his departure cannot explain United’s low running stats alone. However, his positioning and game knowledge remain of a high standard. With Casemiro behind him, Fernandes could take risks, knowing United would not be overrun on transition if he lost the ball.
As for Sesko, his 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 took on 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 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.
Carrick said on Monday that no-one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. However, he added enough caveats to suggest that leaving out his captain is not in his thinking.
United must start to improve, and that means Fernandes must do the same.
“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.”