How Can New Manchester United Manager Erik Ten Hag Revitalize Bruno Fernandes?

Initially, Bruno Fernandes was hailed as a transformative signing for Manchester United. The Portuguese midfielder was even compared to Eric Cantona with regards to the instant impact he made at Old Trafford, giving United a creative edge that they had been previously lacking. A lot has changed since then, though.

Last season, Fernandes registered 18 goals and 12 assists in 32 Premier
PINC
League appearances as he led Manchester United to a very respectable second place finish. The dip in his form is reflected in his inferior numbers this season – nine goals and six assists – but this still doesn’t tell the full story.

Fernandes has lost his sparkle. Not so long ago, he was praised for his winning mentality. Now, though, Fernandes has been typecast as a tedious complainer. He is incapable of masking his frustration and that has been clear in his play this season. More often than not, Fernandes now makes the wrong decision.

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will have a lot on his plate when he pitches up at Old Trafford from Ajax this summer. The Dutchman has issues to resolve in defence and midfield, but he must also attempt to revitalise Fernandes. This will be one of his biggest challenges in his new job.

In theory, ten Hag’s favoured 4-2-3-1 system should suit Fernandes. In a 4-3-3, the Portuguese international is sometimes something of a misfit. He is not a true central midfielder and so requires freedom to drive forward and create in the knowledge that there is protection and structure behind him. Fernandes needs support.

Too often this season, he has been denied this. His flaws have been exposed by a system and approach that demands effort and intelligence on both sides of the ball from the central midfielders. Fernandes is a risk-taker, but he offers little in the way of control and this has been a problem for Ralf Rangnick as interim manager.

“I don’t think we have a lack of character, but what was obvious in some parts of the game is that we were second best with regards to physicality,” Rangnick explained after a particularly anaemic 1-1 draw against Leicester City which saw Manchester United’s lack of aggression and control exposed in the middle of the pitch.

“It was about one on one duels. We spoke about that counter-attacking moment we had ourselves where they tackled us twice, within two seconds [and went on to score] and the same was true in quite a few other moments. Whenever there was body contact, we were too often we were second best. This is something we have to get better at for the rest of this season but even more so for the next season.”

Ten Hag will have his own ideas on how Manchester United should play under his stewardship, but Fernandes is too talented for the Dutchman to sideline him. On his day and in the right system, the 27-year-old is a world class operator. Ten Hag must find a way to activate that player and not the one that has lumbered through this season.