Man Utd need to talk about Bruno! Fernandes' form a concern despite Red Devils' recent revival

That decisive strike against Fulham on November 4 was Fernandes' last league goal for United. He has failed to strike in 13 matches since, while contributing just three assists.

He has scored in the FA Cup matches against Wigan and Newport County - one of which was a penalty - and in the Champions League at Galatasaray, but he has largely been on the margins of United's best attacking moves of late.

Instead, Alejandro Garnacho has taken a step forward, notching five goals and three assists in the league since Fernandes' last goal. Scott McTominay has also come to the fore, scoring four goals and adding an assist despite starting just four league games since December and having to make the most of substitute appearances.

Rasmus Hojlund has also been in the mood after his quiet start to life with United, becoming the youngest-ever player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.

And the worrying thing about Fernandes' dip in goalscoring statistics is that he is now playing in his favoured position as a No.10, where he should be at the heart of United's best moves. He has also played more minutes than any outfield player, only missing the match with Liverpool at Anfield as he was suspended.

The injury to Casemiro had left him with more defensive duties, but the Brazilian returned to action in late January, forming a solid double pivot with Kobbie Mainoo which has given United more stability in midfield and a solid platform for Fernandes to weave his magic. He has been unable to do so.

It is not for want of trying, as the midfielder has fired off 14 shots in his last five Premier League outings, but he has only hit the target three times. He is also carving out plenty of opportunities for his team-mates.

Fernandes ranks third in the Premier League for chances created per match, only trailing James Maddison and Martin Odegaard. But he ranks fourth when it comes to wasting chances, sitting behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Nicolas Jackson and Darwin Nunez.

Fernandes has an expected goals total of six per this season, but has only managed to score three times, one of which was the penalty against Forest.

Fernandes' struggles are even more alarming when you contrast his low numbers with the way he began his career with United. The midfielder posted a stunning eight league goals and seven assists in his first 14 matches after his move from Sporting CP in January 2020, dragging United to finish third as they gained more points than anyone else in the league following his signing.

Fernandes followed his debut season with even better numbers in his second, scoring 18 times and providing 11 assists. His contributions started to fall when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club, but he still scored 10 times in the 2021-22 season and eight times last season, his lowest tally for United.

He is now on track for his lowest scoring season yet, and urgently needs to build on his measly three goals so far.

It is not just Fernandes' attacking contributions that should concern United fans, either. Perhaps motivated by an urge to break his goal drought, the midfielder has been shooting from crazy positions, often to the team's detriment.

When United were up against it at Kenilworth Road on Sunday and just needed to see the game out in injury-time, Fernandes opted to shoot from near the corner flag. Predictably, the ball ballooned over the bar, handing possession back to Luton. Less than a minute later, Ross Barkley struck the woodwork with a header. It was a lucky escape for United and far from their first this season.

Although United have been winning lately, they are still lacking control, throwing away the lead at Wolves and Villa before snatching it back late on. They also ended the game with Luton clinging on for dear life despite going 2-0 up inside the opening seven minutes.

And Fernandes is partly to blame for the haphazard way they have been approaching games. He is too keen to play a through-ball as soon as it comes near him when the sensible option would be to take a moment to slow the play down and assess his options.

He is also responsible for the fact United are seeing so little of the ball. While Ten Hag wants his side to become the best team in transition in Europe and does not want them to monopolise the ball, their lack of interest in it is becoming a concern.

At home to Tottenham, United had just 36 percent possession. Against Luton, they had just 41 percent of the ball, and it led to them allowing the Hatters 72 transition opportunities, the third-highest in the league this season.

Ten Hag's side were fortunate that Luton top scorer Elijah Adebayo had got injured in the warm-up and that the home side could not make more of their 22 shots. They also benefitted from Ollie Watkins' profligacy in the win at Villa.

They might not be so fortunate in their next away match, against Manchester City and Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland.

The good news is that Fernandes is aware of the problem. The bad news is he does not know how to remedy it. He remarked after the 3-3 draw at Galatasaray in the Champions League in November: “We have to control our games. You have to be smart enough and manage the game better. Everyone has to step up and take responsibility for their own mistakes."

In January he admitted "everyone wanted to score" in the FA Cup tie at Newport County - the scene of his last goal - and that the team's impatience led to United letting the League Two minnows back into the game before they eventually won 4-2.

But he is also one of the leading culprits and he cannot expect his team-mates to slow the play down rather than go for goal at every opportunity when he is the first to see the headlines once he gets the ball within shooting range.

He also knows he needs to score more. Asked about the criticism of his leadership style in November, Fernandes addressed the real issue at play. "I know since I arrived at the club my numbers made myself a target, so not keeping the same numbers on goals and assists is sometimes a problem for me in the criticism because they are gonna take from there," he said.

And he had a point. If Fernandes were scoring 15 or more goals per season, no one would be complaining about his body language or telling him to slow the team's play down.

But he and United clearly have a problem. They either need to control games better or be far more efficient with the opportunities they do create. If they do not do either, then their promising run will come to a crashing halt soon, as will their hopes of finishing in the top four.

Fernandes must start scoring more or lead a radical change in United's style. If he does not, then the many critics of his body language and his captaincy will also start to question his footballing ability.