Manchester United truly and undeniably stink. The Red Devils turned in yet another putrid performance this weekend, falling on penalties in the FA Cup to Fulham, sealing their elimination in a tournament they somehow won last season amidst a sea of rotten displays domestically.
Now, Manchester United don’t even have the FA Cup to hang their hats on, as they remain inexplicably in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite a new ownership, an offseason filled with high-profile signings across all levels of the squad, and even a new manager appointed at midseason.
With injuries continuing to derail the team’s young talents, the result against Fulham was a reminder that there is only one player on this team capable of consistently delivering at the Manchester United level – a level so far gone in the past that you’d be forgiven for forgetting what it was to begin with – and that is Bruno Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes was the lone bright spot vs. Fulham
The Portuguese international and captain hasn’t just been a leader for Man United over the past couple of seasons, he’s been their reason for being at times. Fernandes clearly did not deserve to be on the receiving end of this humbling FA Cup defeat, as he scored the lone goal in regulation and dispatched his penalty in an excellent all-around performance that was far beyond the level his teammates produced.
Fernandes created four chances and won five combined dribbles and fouls in the eventual Manchester United defeat, and you could almost see the weight of having to carry this burdensome carcass.
The former Sporting CP star has, at times, made the Premier League feel like the Primeira Liga with how well he creates chances and puts up stats, and yet he also finds the energy to help in defense. For example, he had three combined tackles and interceptions against Fulham on Sunday.
Fernandes gets a lot of hate for how much of the ball he ends up seeing, but that’s out of necessity. Who else on Manchester United would you rather have running the point, so to speak, and making plays? Who else would you rather having taking the shots and having the majority of possession flow through him in the final third?
You could only imagine the gaudy assist totals Fernandes would have with more competent and efficient strikers in front of goal, better one-on-one wingers, and an actual midfield setup behind him at the 10.
