Manchester United s best player may also be their biggest problem

Manchester United coach Ruben Amorin has many problems. He has no reliable goalkeeper, and the 200 million striker has failed to score goals, and conceding penalty kicks has become a nightmare for the team. But has his best player and captain Bruno Fernandez become the team's biggest problem?

The League Cup defeat to English League Two team Greensby, which is the most painful defeat that Manchester United has encountered in recent games. In contrast, it seems trivial to find Fernandez in the best form. But this may be the root of all the problems that threaten Amorin's position as the coach.

Fernandez is Manchester United's amulet. The team ranked 15th in the Premier League in the club's disastrous 2024-25 season - the worst ranking since their relegation in 1974. In addition, they also lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Cup final. However, Fernandez, 30, still contributed 19 goals and 19 assists to Manchester United. Without these goals and assists, Manchester United could end up suffering the shame of relegation to the Championship.

The paradox is that although Fernandez is Manchester United's best player, the team has been underperforming since he joined, which makes people wonder: Is he suitable for Amorin's 3-4-3 system? Despite his talent, is it natural that he and Manchester United are not worthy of being?

So, has Manchester United's best player really become the team's biggest problem?

Is Fernandez suitable for Manchester United's system?

Amorin insisted on using a 3-4-3 formation after coaching Manchester United. With this formation, he led Portugal Sports to win the Portuguese Super League championship twice. A slightly different one is that he sometimes makes Manchester United use a 3-4-2-1 formation, but no matter who the opponent is, Amorin's team always uses a three-back, two wingbacks and two midfielders.

Fernandez is often placed in a further position as one of the two players behind the center, or partnering with Casemiro or Ugat in the midfield. Amorin said earlier this week that England teenager Maynu, who shined in the 2024 European Cup, is competing for a position with Fernandez, meaning they are unlikely to be in the midfield duo at the same time.

Fernandez lacks tactical discipline to serve as a defensive midfielder, and his natural creativity has made him give up a deeper position. Former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder Stewart Robson believes that Fernandez's abilities and characteristics are not suitable for this system.

"The 3-4-3 formation covers all areas of the court," Robson said, "but you have to have the right players to do it. Your wingback has to be very athletic, your two midfielders have to be dynamic and dominant. Manchester United doesn't have these qualities."

"Fernandez is not suitable for the system at all. It's a bit like Eriksen's last years at Pochettino. Pochettino can't find a place to put Eriksen."

" Pochet Tino let Eriksen play on the left side of the midfield and then plays forward. But Eriks can't play in the midfield, he seems out of place on the court, and Fernandez's situation at Manchester United is the same. A team full of vitality and athleticism should have players like Fernandez. "

Under the leadership of Roberto Martinez, the Portugal adopts a 4-2-3-1 formation. Fernandez is arranged to attack the middle of Xing's midfielder behind the single forward, and two defensive midfielders are responsible for the main protection sweep.

Although Fernandez doesn't seem to play his due role in Amorin's system, he still contributed 19 goals and 19 assists to Manchester United last season.

Is Fernandez's midfield partner competent?

Instead of placing the blame on Fernandez not being suitable for this system, why do you ask his midfield partners really have no problem?

Casemiro, Ugat and Menu are all midfield partners around Fernandez, but they all lack speed and mobility. Especially Ugat, the former Paris Saint-Germain player also had difficulties in passing.

Fernandez's strengths lie in his creativity and offensive instinct, but due to the lack of movement of midfielders, any forward advancement may expose Manchester United to the situation where only one player fills the vacancy. This offensive and defensive transition has caused the team to be caught off guard by the opponent's counterattacks many times.

"If Declan Rice is partnering with Fernandez, he can play midfielder," Robson said. "But if you want to form a team around Fernandez, you have to bring in new players. He can't play midfielder with Casemiro, who was OK a decade ago, but not now."

Manchester United had discussed the possibility of introducing Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba in the summer transfer window, but they eventually gave up the deal because the 21-year-old Cameroon international had to pay more than £100 million in transfer fees. Crystal Palace’s Adam Walton and Portugal Sports’ Morten Hulmander (a key figure in Amorin’s coaching the team) are also Manchester United’s targets, but neither is likely to arrive at Old Trafford before this transfer deadline.

This means Amorin must continue to let Fernandez play with players who can’t support him in a defensive midfield position.

"Fernandez can be a very influential player," Robson said. "But he needs to play for a team that can control the ball, and Manchester United can't do that at present. Kevin De Bruyne can show his talent at Manchester City because they control every game."

Fernandez becomes the weak link in Manchester United's midfield?

Fernandez's defense has weaknesses, and this problem was solved by Portugal's head coach Martinez. Martinez's approach is to make him an offensive player - because he lacks the discipline to stick to his position. In addition, sometimes his emotional out-of-control can also affect his performance.

However, when asked in May about the possibility of Fernandez transfer to Riyadh Crescent, Amorin insisted that he wanted Fernandez to stay. "We want to keep the best players," Amorin said. "Fernandez is obviously one of the top players in the world and we want him to stay."

Despite Fernandez's shortcomings, Robson said it's hard to imagine that Manchester United would be better without him.

"No, I don't think it would be better because the team is currently incredible," he said. "I can't see any game routine, I can't see the outstanding performance of individuals, nor any connection or tacit understanding between certain players."

"In fact, the answer to the problem of Manchester United is the players around Fernandez, not Fernandez himself."