‘Flat’ Bruno Fernandes causes alarm as former Man Utd defender questions lack of leadership in Michael Carrick’s squad

United have endured a torrid start to the new campaign. Carrick’s side have managed just one victory in their opening five Premier League fixtures, struggling to build any positive momentum.

The Red Devils have suffered defeats against Hull City and a ten-man Manchester City side, while dropping points in draws with Everton and Fulham. Their sole league triumph came in a commanding 5-2 victory over newly-promoted Ipswich Town. Compounding their domestic struggles, United recently crashed out of the Carabao Cup. Despite taking a 2-0 lead against Brighton at Old Trafford, Carrick's men dramatically collapsed to suffer a 3-2 defeat.

Fernandes has drawn specific criticism amid the team's wider struggles. Former United defender Bardsley believes the 32-year-old midfielder looks a shadow of his usual self.

While Fernandes boasts three goals and an assist in Premier League, all of those goal contributions arrived in the solitary win against Ipswich. Bardsley expressed worry over the Portuguese star's current demeanour.

"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."

Bardsley, who emerged through the Old Trafford youth ranks, also highlighted glaring defensive frailties. He was particularly stunned by the season-opening loss to Hull, calling the lack of energy and fitness "alarming."

The ex-Sunderland man noted that despite looking defensively solid under Carrick last term, the current backline is at "twos and threes." He believes the squad is fundamentally missing on-pitch authority.

"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," he added. "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."

The pressure is now firmly on Carrick to arrest this alarming slump. He must find a way to tighten a leaky defence that threw away late leads against both Brighton and Everton. Furthermore, the manager needs to rejuvenating Fernandes's form to spark a resurgence for the Red Devils.