Football
It is understandable that Manchester United fans are growing impatient for success after spending years watching their club blown around the football wilderness like tumbleweed in a spaghetti western.
However, the way a large portion of the fanbase has written off Bruno Fernandes as a number eight after two matches of the new season is spectacular in its short-sightedness, even for the so-called “plastic” section of the world’s biggest following.
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One swallow doesn’t make a summer
Fernandes was poor against Fulham on Sunday by his own standards, he would probably be the first to admit that. But to write him off as a central midfielder after one poor game is madness. There have been games when he had a stinker playing at number 10 too. Every player has an off day, even Bruno.
United’s outstanding performance of pre-season was the 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth. That was the tour match when Fernandes played in the eight. Despite losing, United were the better team in the Premier League opener against Arsenal, another match which saw Fernandes in central midfield.
Give him the tools, he will do the job
It is true that United miss Bruno in attack when he is in midfield. He is a world class player, so he will be missed from any role. But in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, there are decent alternatives to the Portuguese in attack. There is nobody in midfield that comes close to him in terms of passing ability, speed of thought, work rate and vision.
Fans should withhold judgement on Fernandes as a number eight until they see him play alongside the right number six. Casemiro simply does not cover enough ground, have enough energy nor is able to tackle well enough to be the right partner. Manuel Ugarte is a better fit on paper than the Brazilian, but has just not been good enough. Ruben Amorim clearly doesn’t see Kobbie Mainoo as a six.
A bid in excess of £100 million for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba means INEOS know this is an issue. It would be surprising if a signing is not made before the end of the window and then, perhaps, we will see Bruno flourish consistently in central midfield.
Zone of influence
Amorim has been asked on numerous occasions why he sees Fernandes as an 8. His answer is simple: Bruno is our best player, and he wants his best player at the centre of the action, dictating play, conducting the orchestra.
It is the role that the 30 year old himself sees as his best. It is his shirt number, it is the tattoo on his arm. He wants to be in the thick of things.
The argument that United will sacrifice Bruno’s goals and assists if he plays in central midfield is fair; he has scored 83 goals in 230 games as an attacking midfielder versus seven in 29 as a CM. So a goal every 2.77 games becomes a goal every 4.14 games. However, the bigger question is how many goals do United score as a team, when he is playing in each position? The results last season showed little difference in the two situations, around 1.2 goals scored per game by United when he was in each position.
Defensive capabilities
There is also the issue of the skipper’s defensive abilities. His reading of the game and sheer ability to cover ground means he is a huge defensive asset, especially in transition. In 2024/25, United conceded 19 goals in 18 games (1.05 goals per game) when Fernandes played as a CM vs 49 goals in 32 games (1.53 goals per game) when he played as an attacking midfielder.
The fewer goals he scores on average when playing deeper is therefore far outweighed by the overall goals for versus goals against of the United side when he plays there.
Time will tell
Fans should also take into account the fact that against Fulham, United were playing with two very young and inexperienced wing backs in Amad and Patrick Dorgu. In Amorim’s system, the wing backs are expected to make an extra man in midfield when needed, but this is something that needs practice and experience.
Meanwhile, the two youngsters have to get used to playing alongside the new pair ahead of them, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. It will take time for the team to gel and when it does, there will be a much better and tighter midfield environment in which Fernandes can operate.
Ultimately, we do not yet know whether central midfield will be the best role for Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United. But to write it off as a failed experiment at this stage is way too hasty and is not even supported by the statistics available.
Featured image Lars Baron via Getty Images
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