Bruno Fernandes has been named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26, but his form has dropped sharply in the early weeks of this season. Manchester United have collected just six points from their opening six Premier League games, their worst league start in 40 years.
It is only seven weeks since Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House and spoke of his pride at receiving the PFA award. The Manchester United captain had already won the Premier League and Football Writers’ versions of the honour, recognizing his phenomenal contribution to his side’s unexpected third-place finish.
Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists last season, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. Over the final 11 games of the campaign, he either scored or created 12 of United’s 21 goals. In the seven-game run that returned United to Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence, the 31-year-old was involved in nine of the 12 goals.
Statistically, it was remarkable. It recalled Eric Cantona’s 1995-96 title-winning campaign, when he scored in six successive games, five of them when United scored only once.
“It was a special season for me,” Fernandes told an appreciative audience. “I am very proud.
“But we don’t play tennis. We don’t play just for ourselves. We play for a team, we play for a club, we play for the fans. There is nothing more special than that.”
Those words carry particular weight now, because this season’s numbers are far less impressive.
A Slow Start to the Season
Fernandes has played every minute of United’s six Premier League games. He has scored three goals and provided one assist, all coming in the second game against Ipswich, which remains United’s only league win so far.
Those figures are better than last season’s start, when he scored twice in the opening six games and created nothing. However, he was then playing in the deeper midfield role that Ruben Amorim preferred.
This season, Fernandes is averaging 3.3 shots per game, his second-highest figure for shots at Old Trafford. His best was 3.5 in 2020-21. However, his average of 0.8 shots on target is his joint-second lowest. His chance creation has also dropped to 2.5 per game, the second lowest of his time at the club and well down on the 4.0 he produced last season.
Most startling of all, he has created just one big chance so far this season, the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo clear of the Ipswich defense on 30 August. He averaged one per game last season.
These numbers help explain why United have struggled. The question is whether Fernandes is a cause of the team’s problems or a symptom of them.
Fitness Questions and Carrick’s Response
There is also uncertainty over the Portugal playmaker’s fitness. Fernandes rarely misses games, but he was left out of the recent Nations League match against Norway. National team boss Jorge Jesus said the former Sporting player was “playing through pain.”
Fernandes did return for the final two internationals of the break. Before that, he played the full 90 minutes in United’s 4-0 Champions League win over Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
United manager Michael Carrick does not see the issue as a major concern as he prepares his side to face Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
“He was carrying something but that happens a lot,” Carrick said. “Players play with issues.
“It’s not ideal but it is manageable. Bruno is able to play. That is the commitment he has got.
“He is pretty much over it, was really bright in training this morning and is looking forward to the game.”
Missing Partners Up Front and in Midfield
Towards the end of last season, when Fernandes was at his most productive, Benjamin Sesko was a regular in the number nine role, and veteran Brazilian Casemiro anchored United’s midfield. Of the nine league goals Sesko has scored in 2026, Fernandes created four. He also set up four of the final five goals Casemiro scored for United from 1 February onward.
Beyond goals, the absence of Sesko and Casemiro is clearly being felt. Casemiro left for Inter Miami in the summer, so his departure cannot fully explain United’s weaker running numbers. However, his positioning and game knowledge were of a high standard. With him in midfield, Fernandes could take risks, confident that United would not be overrun on the counterattack if he lost the ball.
Sesko’s fresh shin injury extends a spell without him, and there is no return date yet.
The club’s decision-makers ignored calls for more striking support in the summer and reinforced Carrick’s midfield instead. A plan to cover Sesko’s initial absence by using Mbeumo as a number nine was scrapped when Amad Diallo suffered an ankle injury just before the opening game at Hull. Matheus Cunha took on the role, but he repeatedly dropped deep into the space Fernandes occupied, and the pair never found an effective way to deal with it.
For Fernandes, that setup feels restrictive. He is not a player who lacks confidence, but his decision-making appears to be suffering. Against Tottenham at the weekend, it took him an incredible 23 minutes to complete a pass.
What Comes Next
Carrick said on Monday, ahead of the Champions League meeting with Atletico, that no one was “guaranteed” a place in his team. He added enough caveats to suggest that leaving out his captain is not part of his thinking.
United must improve, and Fernandes must lead that change.
“He’s a top player, Bruno,” Carrick said.
“Sometimes things don’t quite go for you. Sometimes you have a spell of that.
“But he’s done some incredible things for this football club and he will do the same in the future, there’s no doubt about that.”