All has not been well for Manchester United this season. There have been enough headlines written about that over the last six months, and there is perhaps not enough column space here to go through all the reasons. That said, fans of the club have seen some green shoots over January and February, not least in attack, where United’s forwards seem to have finally found their shooting boots. Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho have all picked up in recent weeks, and there has been a growing sense that the front three offer a dynamic that may yet turn this season into a mildly successful one for United.
Of course, it is Bruno Fernandes that is the engine room behind that attack. Fernandes has not had his best season – by his own admission – but he has been quietly picking up form in 2024, and he is one of the key factors behind United’s recent rejuvenation in attack.
The Portuguese star has dropped down the rankings in both goals and assists in the 2023/24 season, yet some would argue that it is not entirely his fault. He was poorly served by a woefully out-of-form (until recently) Rashford on the left and the much-maligned Antony on the right. Hojlund, who has been asked a lot to lead the attack at such a young age, is only now getting to grips with life as the main striker of one of the biggest clubs in world football.
United forwards look a different prospect
The dynamic shift came both behind and in front of Fernandes. Dropping Antony was an important move by coach Erik Ten Hag, and Garnacho has flourished on the right. His relationship with Hojlund is starting to bloom. Rashford, for whom desire was the main question rather than talent, seems to have been the beneficiary of his own bad behaviour. Rashford was dropped after a night out in Belfast caused him to miss training. He has looked reinvigorated since coming back into the team.
Perhaps more importantly, it is what is now behind Fernandes that has become crucial. Most of the season, United played with a combination of Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen, and Kobbie Mainoo in midfield. McTominay has won plaudits for his goal-scoring, but he stifles Fernandes’ creativity. It took many months for Erik Ten Hag to learn the lesson that the Portuguese and Scottish stars cannot work well together. Now, with players coming back from injury, Ten Hag can put the experienced Casemiro beside Mainoo to anchor the midfield. This offers Fernandes the assurance that he can do what he does best – attack.
United may sneak into top 4
United are still relative long-shots to secure a top-four place and qualify for the Champions League, although the football betting odds suggest the bookmakers believe it is more likely than some fans do. Injuries, of course, have continued to blight United, and fans looked on in horror as Lisandro Martínez – the team’s best defender – hobbled off against West Ham in early February. Martínez, who had already missed most of the season, looks set for another spell on the sidelines. That said, the overall sense is that United’s injury-ravaged period may be dissipating.
Fernandes, of course, rarely gets injured, and he has been there for both the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of United’s season. But there was a real sense of a shift change in attack in recent weeks. That won’t guarantee that good results follow – United’s defence has been woeful – but it does hint at a more optimistic latter period in the season. For Fernades personally, we would expect him to start picking up more assists and playing with greater confidence. A solid midfield behind him, coupled with exciting young players in front of him, is exactly what he needs. A better finish to the season is good news for Fernandes, and the Portuguese national team going into Euro 2024.
