Bruno Fernandes endured a torrid afternoon at Elland Road as Manchester United’s captain, with his poor run of form prompting fresh questions over whether he should remain the club’s main creative force.
The Portugal international was booked early for a lunging challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, with Leeds supporters demanding a red card as the chant “Bruno is a ” rang around the stadium. Fernandes responded by leading United for the remaining 73 minutes without giving referee Darren England another reason to dismiss him in a fiercely contested match.
The 32-year-old is accustomed to hostile treatment away from home and usually answers criticism on the pitch. However, he was unable to influence Sunday’s game, continuing a disappointing run in which he has made little impact in most of United’s 10 matches this season.
Fernandes has scored four goals and provided one assist, with all of those contributions coming in United’s only two victories, against Ipswich Town and Sabah at Old Trafford. The form that previously brought him the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards, after he scored nine goals and supplied a Premier League-record 21 assists, has largely disappeared.
His frustration was clear at Elland Road, where he repeatedly gestured and complained, mainly towards Diogo Dalot, as he struggled to find an opening. Asked about his captain’s body language, head coach Michael Carrick replied: “No, he was absolutely fine today, don’t worry.”
Carrick has nevertheless started using Fernandes in different positions. He played wide on the right against Atletico Madrid in midweek, allowing Youri Tielemans to operate as the advanced midfielder. Tielemans retained that role against Leeds and created Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal, while Fernandes began on the left and swapped positions with Mbeumo at centre-forward.
“Today, he pretty much played where he has been playing for the most part, through the middle of the pitch, so there wasn’t really too much change,” said Carrick. “He played a slightly different position in midweek, but apart from that it’s pretty much as usual, you know. And he’s an important part of our team, Bruno. He has been for us for some time, and that’s not changing.”
Tielemans’ performance means he deserves to keep the No.10 position for Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Como. Matheus Cunha can also play there, although he has previously had to accommodate Fernandes. Until now, Fernandes’ statistics made his place in the team effectively unquestionable, but Carrick was asked in Madrid whether he was undroppable.
United’s hierarchy were willing to consider his departure last year when Al-Hilal offered a £100m transfer fee, along with substantial personal terms. Fernandes stayed despite saying he was “hurt” by the club’s readiness to sell him, and then produced an outstanding season ahead of last summer’s World Cup.
Galatasaray also attempted to sign him this year and were prepared to double his wages, but Fernandes again remained loyal to United, who are no closer to winning the Premier League than when he joined from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
His time at Old Trafford has brought only the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and he is out of contract at the end of June. United can extend the agreement by 12 months, while discussions over a new deal have begun without any imminent breakthrough.
After United sold Casemiro but failed to find a buyer for Marcus Rashford in the summer, questions remain over whether Fernandes should also have been moved on, particularly with Tielemans available. His record suggests this loss of form may be temporary, but the longer it continues, the greater the uncertainty over whether one of the few outstanding Manchester United careers of the post-Ferguson era is approaching its conclusion.
