Bruno Fernandes is widely regarded as Manchester United’s best signing since Sir Alex Ferguson retired but there are concerns this season
Former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley has shared his concern over Bruno Fernandes. The ex-Scotland international also offers his view on an “alarming” start to the campaign under Michael Carrick.
The Reds enjoyed a remarkable revival under then-interim boss Carrick last term. United went from a struggling team under Ruben Amorim to one that comfortably finished third and qualified for the Champions League.
Reds captain Fernandes was at the heart of United’s rise – recording a single-season Premier League record of 21 assists. However, the Portuguese has been less effective so far this term. Despite scoring a hat-trick against Ipswich, the midfielder has just one assist to his name.
And speaking on behalf of Lyllo Casino, via the Metro, Bardsley has delivered his verdict on the 32-year-old.
He said: “Bruno Fernandes looks a bit flat to me this year. Being brutally honest, and I’m his biggest advocate, I’m his biggest fan, I think he’s amazing in what he does for the team, you can never question the effort and the work he puts in that people probably don’t see beyond the goals.
“He just looks a little bit flat in himself this year, and that’s a bit of a concern, as well, because we know how important he’s been for the last four or five seasons, and without him we’d probably be in a completely different position.
“So, hopefully he can find that little bit of spark again, because if he can’t, or hopefully he can bring others along too, it’s going to be difficult if our best player is struggling.”
Bardsley feels the Reds’ frailties have been on show from the first game of the campaign against Hull City. Bardsley believes that the 2-0 defeat in Yorkshire to a newly-promoted side was a concerning way to begin 2026/27.
The 41-year-old said: “Defensively we’re at twos and threes, which is disappointing because after Michael Carrick came last year we looked quite strong, we looked solid. I know he had to make some changes against Brighton, but these are the players that are banging on his door wanting game time, and when the opportunity presents itself, you’ve got to be ready to perform and they didn’t do that.
“The whole game [against Hull] was a bit alarming for me, honestly. Hull were brilliant on the day, but body language, fitness, energy, there was just a lack of everything. They took that into the Everton game where they went ahead twice, thinking, “Come on then, put the game to bed,” in the 88th minute when we went 2-1 up, and we conceded again.
“Then the derby was just obviously really, really disappointing. Down to 10 men for a large part of the game and we can’t unlock a defence, not asking enough questions, not crossing enough balls.
“But ultimately, defensively, across the board, you can look at the back four and say it’s not the best back four in the world, but as a collective we’ve got to be more aggressive. We’ve got to be more demanding of each other, and that’s the thing that alarms me, there’s not enough demand. Goals go in and we just turn round and do the kick-off again.
“There’s got to be some sort of demand put on each other and holding players accountable when they make mistakes, when they’re not at the races, or when they’re not stopping crosses or shots. There’s a lack of leadership there.”
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