Bruno Fernandes becoming a concern, reckons former Man Utd defender

Among Manchester United’s concerns during a difficult start to the season is a ‘flat’ Bruno Fernandes, according to former Red Devils defender Phil Bardsley.

Michael Carrick’s team has not hit form so far this campaign, winning just one of their first five Premier League games as they downed newly-promoted Ipswich Town.

Manchester United have already been beaten by Hull City and 10-man Manchester City, while they have been held to draws by Everton and Fulham.

A Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Brighton has also been suffered, losing 3-2 at Old Trafford despite scoring the first two goals of the game against the Seagulls.

The defence has attracted the most criticism, but others have come under fire as well, including captain Fernandes. The 32-year-old has already scored three goals from midfield this season, but all three came in the 5-2 win over Ipswich.

The one assist Fernandes has laid on for a teammate in the top flight this campaign also came in that victory over the Tractor Boys.

Bardsley, who came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, before leaving for Sunderland in 2008, sees the Portuguese superstar’s form as a concern, given how crucial he has been to the club for years.

‘Bruno Fernandes looks a bit flat to me this year,’ Bardsley told Lyllo Casino. ‘Being brutally honest, and I’m his biggest advocate, I’m his biggest fan, I think he’s amazing in what he does for the team, you can never question the effort and the work he puts in that people probably don’t see beyond the goals.

‘He just looks a little bit flat in himself this year, and that’s a bit of a concern, as well, because we know how important he’s been for the last four or five seasons, and without him we’d probably be in a completely different position.

‘So, hopefully he can find that little bit of spark again, because if he can’t, or hopefully he can bring others along too, it’s going to be difficult if our best player is struggling.’

Bardsley feels the team’s frailties have been on show from the first game of the campaign against Hull, which he thought was an ‘alarming’ way to start the season.

‘Defensively we’re at twos and threes, which is disappointing because after Michael Carrick came last year we looked quite strong, we looked solid,’ he said.

‘I know he had to make some changes against Brighton, but these are the players that are banging on his door wanting game time, and when the opportunity presents itself, you’ve got to be ready to perform and they didn’t do that.

‘The whole game [against Hull] was a bit alarming for me, honestly. Hull were brilliant on the day, but body language, fitness, energy, there was just a lack of everything.

‘They took that into the Everton game where they went ahead twice, thinking, “Come on then, put the game to bed,” in the 88th minute when we went 2-1 up, and we conceded again.

‘Then the derby was just obviously really, really disappointing. Down to 10 men for a large part of the game and we can’t unlock a defence, not asking enough questions, not crossing enough balls.

‘But ultimately, defensively, across the board, you can look at the back four and say it’s not the best back four in the world, but as a collective we’ve got to be more aggressive.

‘We’ve got to be more demanding of each other, and that’s the thing that alarms me, there’s not enough demand. Goals go in and we just turn round and do the kickoff again.

‘There’s got to be some sort of demand put on each other and holding players accountable when they make mistakes, when they’re not at the races, or when they’re not stopping crosses or shots. There’s a lack of leadership there.’

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