When Manchester United were at their lowest ebb earlier in the season, they had to thank their lucky stars they could at least rely on the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes. It was the captain who pulled them out of a hole against Nottingham Forest, when they conceded two goals in the opening four minutes. The Portuguese set up Casemiro's equaliser, earned the foul from which Forest captain Joe Worrall was sent off, and then bagged the winner from the penalty spot.
Fernandes was also pivotal to their narrow 1-0 win at Burnley, scoring a stupendous volley which halted a run of three successive defeats. And after facing fierce criticism from Roy Keane after the dire defeat by Manchester City and calls to be stripped of the captaincy, it was Fernandes who stepped up in stoppage-time at Craven Cottage, firing United to a much-needed victory at Fulham.
The midfielder was often made the scapegoat by pundits for United's troubles due to his body language and his penchant for complaining to referees, but he was never the problem. However, a curious thing has happened in the last two months: United have made huge strides in 2024, winning six out of their last seven matches, but their revival has not been down to Fernandes. If anything, it has been in spite of him.
