Manchester United Has Failed Its Best Player By Not Building Around Him

Without Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United would have slumped to another damaging defeat away to Bournemouth on Saturday. As it was, Erik ten Hag’s team claimed a point in a 2-2 draw that still highlighted many flaws, but highlighted just how important Fernandes is - and how Manchester United has failed him.

This hasn’t been Fernandes’ best Premier PINC League season. The Portuguese midfielder has played at a consistently higher level over the course of his United career, and yet his brace against Bournemouth took him to 12 goals in all competitions for the 2023/24 campaign. He is now the team’s top scorer.

In 227 appearances for the Old Trafford club, Fernandes has registered 76 goals and 62 assists. The numbers are clear and yet the 29-year-old often faces criticism. Some argue he doesn’t do enough on the defensive side of the ball. Others point out his petulance and unsuitability as Manchester United captain.

While there might be some validity to these criticisms, Fernandes remains the best player Manchester United has. While others around him have faltered recently, he has stepped up, scoring in successive matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Bournemouth. It is not Fernandes that has failed United, it’s the other way round.

By now, Manchester United should have built an effective midfield unit around Fernandes. They should have found the teammates to mask Fernandes’ vulnerabilities and play to his strengths. Instead, United’s midfield is one of the most disjointed in the Premier League - as the last few performances have demonstrated.

Casemiro was signed from Real Madrid to play at the base of ten Hag’s midfield. He arrived as one of the best players in his position in Europe. However, Casemiro has been a disappointment in the Premier League. The Brazilian has lacked physicality and has been linked with a departure from Old Trafford.

Kobbie Mainoo has broken through this season and is a generational talent, but he is still a teenager. It’s unreasonable for Manchester United to expect someone so young to be the one-man solution to their problems in the centre of the pitch. Scott McTominay, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen also have flaws.

Fernandes is a difference-maker and he has still shown his worth in that role for Manchester United over the years, but the Old Trafford club could have got so much more out of him had they built around him. Instead, United frequently looks to Fernandes to get them out of trouble - as he did against Bournemouth.