Bruno Fernandes has three goals and one assist in Manchester United’s six Premier League games this season, a sharp drop from the form that made him the league’s most productive player last term. It is only seven weeks since he stood in Manchester 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 for his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish. He scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne.
Over the final 11 games of last season, Fernandes either scored or created 12 of the 21 goals United managed. 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 the 12 goals. Statistically, it was remarkable, reminiscent of Eric Cantona in the 1995-96 title-winning campaign, when he scored in six successive games, five of them when United only scored 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 the figures this season are far less impressive.
A Difficult Start
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six league games. His three goals and one assist all came in the second game of the campaign, against Ipswich, which remains his side’s only win so far.
The numbers are better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create a single goal. However, at that stage, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
This season he is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure, although his best was 3.5 in 2020-21. His average of 0.8 shots on target is his joint-second lowest. His chance creation of 2.5 per game is the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Even more startling, he has created just one big chance so far this season, a 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 help explain why United have collected just six points from their opening six games, their worst league start in 40 years. But the question is whether Fernandes is a cause of United’s malaise or a symptom of it.
Fitness and Carrick’s Backing
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 with Norway, and 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 break. Before that, he played 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 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.
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 gone, Fernandes has lost a player who gave him the confidence to take risks, knowing United would not be overrun on the counter-attack if he lost the ball.
As for Sesko, his fresh shin injury extends a spell without involvement, and there is no clear 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, 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.
What Comes Next
On Monday, ahead of the Champions League meeting with Atletico, Carrick said 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.”