It’s been a troubled start to the season at the Theatre of Dreams, with continued takeover talk and speculation about the future of manager Erik ten Hag.
- Published prior to Manchester United's 3-0 win over Everton
The future of a number of star Manchester United players is also very much in focus, including that of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes has been one of the most creative players in the world, and the linchpin in United’s midfield for several years now.
His goal last week in Portugal’s penultimate game against Iceland helped his country achieve a perfect Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. It was also his 13th goal contribution, putting him level with Kylian Mbappe for the second highest in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
But things have not gone according to plan at club level, with United enduring a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign.
Fernandes has not been immune from criticism, and there were calls for him to be stripped of the club captaincy, but the 29-year-old has continued to let his football do the talking.
Despite being forced to play out of position at times, his match-winning goals against Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Fulham have shown that he is one of the few players that Ten Hag can truly rely on.
Bruno Fernandes Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
According to our player valuation model, Fernandes has a current Estimated Transfer Value of €60.9 million, making him the second most valuable player at United behind Marcus Rashford.
Saudi Pro League clubs have shown an interest in signing him next summer, and are reportedly willing to offer United around €100 million. That would be excellent value for a player who will turn 30 next year.
But the new ownership era at Old Trafford, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will need to keep hold of their best assets - and their number eight is especially valuable.
Fernandes continues to deliver
Few other United players have the ability to deliver consistently in key moments like their captain. His four goals and three assists across all competitions have helped the Red Devils to sixth place in the Premier League table - papering over the cracks of a disjointed and fractious dressing room.
But he offers so much more than that. His all-action displays result in 5.08 shot-creating actions, 9 progressive passes and 2.67 key passes per 90 minutes.
While Tottenham’s James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool have won plaudits for their performances this season, Fernandes actually matches up with them in his ability to progress the ball and create chances.
But it has been hard for his output to be fully appreciated when his team is performing well below par. This is especially apparent in how his 0.17 assists per 90 figure is almost half what he should have got based on expected assists of 0.32 per 90.
Fernandes is at his best when playing as the number 10, where he can stay high and operate between the lines.
Sadly, ten Hag’s inability to find the right balance in midfield has seen his side struggle to build up and play through teams.
The club's issues on the wing have added to the troubles, and they have led to Fernandes’ role being tweaked. He now drops deeper to be more involved on the ball, instead of getting on the end of it higher up the pitch.
The data backs this up, and highlights how he has received fewer progressive passes per 90, but attempted almost 10 more passes per 90 compared to last season - with a higher proportion of them being long passes.
The former Sporting man has also taken more touches in the defensive penalty area and fewer touches in the attacking penalty per 90 compared to last season.
Sofyan Amarabat’s issues settling in at Old Trafford, and Casemiro’s drop in form, have compounded the club’s struggles defensively. Yet again, Fernandes has tried to mitigate these issues by improving his contribution in that area.
The Portuguese international made 2.33 tackles and 1.17 clearances, won 47.1% of aerials and challenged 3.17 dribblers P90. All these metrics are better than last season’s numbers, and rank him highly compared to his positional peers in the league.
Fernandes is and will continue to be the main man at United, and his energy, ambition and application will be pivotal to the club having a strong finish to the season.
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