Bruno Fernandes has always been a frustrating player to watch. The former Sporting CP playmaker goes to ground too easily, riles up opponents constantly and never fails to lambast his own team-mates when things are going wrong. For the most part, all of that has been excused in Fernandes’ time at Manchester United, because he has consistently made a decisive impact in the final third of the pitch.
But this season that is no longer the case. Fernandes’ latest wince-inducing performance came in United’s Europa League opener against Twente, which saw the Dutch side battle to a 1-1 draw in front of an exasperated Old Trafford crowd.
The hosts held a lead at the interval thanks to a fine Christian Eriksen strike, but surrendered it with 20 minutes left on the clock as the Dane was made to pay for a defensive mistake by Sam Lammers. “We were too easy-going, too complacent,” Erik ten Hag told TNT Sports after the game. “We didn’t bring it over the line and as a team, you have to deliver this.”
The United manager might as well have been talking directly to Fernandes, who was the most “complacent” player on the pitch. He has been for weeks now, but for some reason, remains undroppable. If the Red Devils are to turn their campaign around, and Ten Hag wants to save his job, that has to change. The captain has become a big problem that can no longer be ignored.