Bruno Fernandes: Man United already have options to replace their talisman | OneFootball

Top-level football clubs should run like well-oiled machines on and particularly off the field. But for the past decade or so there has been a clanking and a crunching of gears in the Manchester United engine room, smoke billowing out from under the door marked ‘strategy’. And pushing it open simply reveals that the forward planning committee have been on an extended vacation, if they were ever even there at all.

Being future-proof is not something that seems to come naturally to this club. The previous football regime favoured moves like panic-re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo and embarking on interminable, doomed pursuits of Barcelona midfielders instead of knuckling down and making the team good now and better later. But, by accident or design, INEOS seem to have learned from history and set the club on track to duck what would once have been a near-fatal blow.

United’s talisman

Every team has its hero and every generation its superstar – Ronaldo was one, as were Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Sir Bobby Charlton and a select few more. These players dragged, inspired and carried United to trophies and glory, but the Red Devils’ current equivalent has seen scant return for the blood, sweat and tears he has left on the Old Trafford turf.

Bruno Fernandes has been the beating heart of the various distended and disjointed United sides of which he has been a part since signing for the club five and half years ago, when he became one of the best pieces of January business done by anyone, anywhere.

Since then, he has lifted the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup once each and been left staring into the abyss after two Europa League final defeats. But more important was his instinctive sidestep into the role of talisman, snatching draws from the jaws of defeat then nudging some of those draws over the line into crucial victories.

If anyone deserves a league title at United it’s him, but time is fast running out to make that happen with the Portuguese turning 31 next month. It’s painful to think about where the club would be without him, but like owning an 18-year-old cat there’s an upsetting conversation edging closer by the day. To quote Erik ten Hag, “all eras come to an end”.

Heirs apparent

After a slow start it’s been an exciting summer for transfers at Old Trafford, where a new triumvirate of attackers have been ushered over the threshold to try and build something new after the earth-scorching disappointment of last year. Two of those new arrivals, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, are hard-boiled Premier League-proven forwards who have done some of their best work behind the striker and have been hand-picked by Ruben Amorim to play as 10s in his 3-4-2-1 system.

That formation, introduced by the charismatic Portuguese coach as soon as he touched down in Manchester, forced a lot of square pegs into round holes but Fernandes acquitted himself admirably as one of those 10s. His goal threat, work rate and creativity were typically impressive but, ever the victim of his own success, he also presented himself as a capable pair of feet to fill one of the deeper-lying midfield roles alongside Casemiro.

The summer window and its much-heralded squad overhaul was always going to shine a light on Amorim’s long-term plans, and the introduction of two top-class 10s suggests that Fernandes’ future lies further back.

But, by investing so heavily, cleverly and quickly, United have manoeuvred themselves into a position where Fernandes could never play another game in red as a number 10 and they could get by – a position which last season would have been almost unthinkable. This is a clear signal of intent for planning beyond the Bruno era, as an attack once embodied by him now no longer necessarily contains him.

A deeper problem

Looked at from a different angle, however, this could be just kicking the can down the road; you can’t fail to replace your key player at number 10 if he no longer plays there.

So, what of Fernandes mark 2? He’s still the same talisman, the same 5 ft 10 inches of pure desire to win, just stationed a few yards further back. If Cunha and Mbeumo were fairly obvious picks to replace early Fernandes, planning beyond late Bruno throws up a real headache. United’s midfield is a mess and, despite a decent showing against Arsenal, Casemiro’s time there should be up.

The Red Devils are expected to reinforce in that department, but even that signing shouldn’t be made without checking the post-Bruno roadmap. Just because the new player works with Fernandes doesn’t mean he will work with his successor.

Ready-made successor

But the masterstroke is that the successor is already here, has already shared the pitch with his captain 63 times and is still yet to turn 21. Kobbie Mainoo, who has quietly been getting stronger, fitter and leaner over a low-profile summer, has all the attributes to take over as United’s midfield pacemaker, the deep-lying playmaker able to run the game and sprinkle some stardust in the process.

A possible fly in the ointment is that Amorim seems to see Mainoo and Fernandes as interchangeable, rather than able to play alongside each other. There’s something in this, but the 20-year-old with the sky-high ceiling remains eminently mouldable and shouldn’t have to wait for the Fernandes decline before getting his chance.

The manager uttered words intended to reassure in his press conference today, explaining that Mainoo will be handed opportunities and that there will be spaces for him this season, but until the youngster gets a new contract and some regular minutes there remains a slight unease.

United, for once, have ended up with all the resources they need to get over what will inevitably be a difficult stumbling block; if they play their cards right the club could have solved their biggest problem before it even started.

online polls

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social