In the last ten years, has Manchester United acquired a better player than Bruno Fernandes? No.
Since joining the team from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, the Portuguese international has scored 79 goals and provided 70 assists. He has been a bright spot at what is still a painful time for the team.
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Nonetheless, it does not absolve him from criticism. Fernandes has had far too many off days this season, but every player has the right to some.
He didn’t show up for Saturday’s race against Crystal Palace and on Wednesday night, he played poorly again in the 1-1 tie with FC Twente.
He threw the ball away, was careless with it and was unable to get into the rhythm he so frequently finds without exerting any effort.
Nevertheless, Joshua Zirkzee has come out well for United in their previous two games, regardless of the nature of the outcomes. The Netherlands international has shown what he can do by playing excellent link-up play, although acknowledging he is not a natural striker and rating himself as a “9.5.”
Naturally, Fernandes’ performance would have to drastically decline for Ten Hag to think about benching him, but Zirkzee has demonstrated that he may be an alternative option in the case that Fernandes’ carelessness persists.
For a while now, Fernandes hasn’t faced any real competition for the attacking midfield position, but that might soon change, reports Manchester Evening News.
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