Manchester United are seriously lacking in a number of aspects at the moment.
Their manager Ruben Amorim, who is only a few months into his job at Old Trafford, has already declared his team as the worst ever in the club’s long history, albeit in a post-match rant that came instinctively and was somewhat an exaggeration.
However, there is no denying that suffering has become Manchester United’s destiny since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson as their manager.
Winning an odd Europa League and an odd FA Cup here and there cannot camouflage the obvious fact that the Red Devils have not come anywhere near winning the Premier League during the past decade, let alone performing well in the UEFA Champions League.
Bruno Fernandes Shines in a Mediocre Manchester United Squad
Amid a number of regrettable signings that wasted the club’s money as well as the expectations of its supporters, the one that brought Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United in January 2020 has proved to be beneficial.
The Portuguese midfielder has scored 88 goals and had 59 assists in 265 matches for the club so far, which is a very good return even considering the fact that he usually takes penalties for them.
However, as the focus is almost always on United’s relative underperformance these days, Fernandes’ sustained excellence hardly gets a mention.
One also has to consider the fact that Fernandes is a No. 10, who does not enjoy the luxury of playing as one in a 4-2-3-1 formation these days. Fernandes often has to play as a left-winger in a 3-4-3, which means he has had to make compromises for the sake of his team.
In spite of the above, his numbers are still very good.
In fact, his goal-scoring ratio is much better than Kevin de Bruyne’s for Manchester City, for example.
However, de Bruyne does not usually take the penalties for the Cityzens and leads the assist-tally among the current crop of players in the Premier League.
Still, getting mentioned in the same breath as de Bruyne shows the kind of impact Fernandes has had at United.
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Fernandes Stands Alone as Manchester United’s Only World-Class Talent
Almost any other team in Europe should like to have Fernandes.
Along with de Bruyne, Cole Palmer and Martin Ødegaard, Fernandes is among the best playmakers in the Premier League at the moment.
His contract with Manchester United will expire in 2027. Fernandes is 30 now, which means he should still be able to squeeze in a few more years at the top-flight football.
The midfielder should see through his contract at Old Trafford, but it cannot be said at the moment whether he will be able or willing to extend it in 2027.
It is a pity that Fernandes’ stint at Manchester United coincided with the bleakest period in the club’s recent history.
However, the Portuguese international has done more than his bit for the club and should go down as one of its best players during the last 10-15 years.
Hopefully, he will get enough support from his teammates in the upcoming matches to help Amorim turn things around at the club.