Manchester United: Bruno Saves the Day

By: Anthony Tazbaz

Image Credit: Nat Callaghan

Manchester United, and manager Erik Ten Hag, live to fight another day!

Entering Saturday's match against Fulham FC at Craven Cottage in uninspiring form, Manchester United emerges victorious!

While the match was seemingly headed for a 0-0 stalemate — with both clubs squandering opportunities to brake the deadlock — Bruno Fernandes's brilliant strike proved too strong for Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno .

This win snaps Manchester United's two-game losing streak, where they were blanked 3-0 on both occasions — both at Old Trafford — against local rivals Manchester City and Newcastle United. The latter meant an early exit at the hands of last year's EFL Cup finalists in the Round of 16 amid its EFL Cup title defence.

A Deeper Look

Despite an ambitious Summer transfer window and high hopes for the 2023-24 campaign (see previously written article in hyperlink), United are currently playing with desperation. Without Fernandes, their goalless drought would have extended likely to three matches. The Portuguese international came to the rescue for a second time in Premier League action, where he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Burnley FC. That victory snapped Manchester United's three-game losing skid and gave the club its first shutout victory since the opening matchday.

Bruno's stoppage time winner increased his goal tally to three, equalizing Scottish international Scott McTominay for most goals amongst Manchester United players in the Premier League. He also leads the club with two Premier League assists.

Yes, But

These statistics prove two things. First, Fernandes proves invaluable to the club. Despite facing strong criticism regarding his club captaincy from the likes of Manchester United legend Roy Keane, Fernandes's absence throughout the season would likely have the club fighting to get out of the lower mid-table area of the Premier League table.

Second, Manchester United desperately need production from a lacklustre attack. The cohort of forwards comprising the likes of Anthony Martial, Antony, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund mustered only one goal and one assist in league action — both produced by Marcus Rashford. In Champions League, only Rasmus Højlund managed to score, albeit three goals. However, all three of his goals came during losses against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray. He will ultimately need to start scoring in league action to fully meet the standards set for a renowned player arriving for a whopping €75m fee.

Moreover

Erik Ten Hag's job remains at risk. Although Manchester United ran with all three points, the club remains in eighth place and trail five points behind fifth place Aston Villa, and six points out of the top-four.

His tenure as Manchester United manager will also remain contingent on the club's Champions League performance, scheduled to continue this week with a Manchester United-FC Coperhagen fixture at the Parken in Denmark. Should Copenhagen exact revenge following last's matchday's 1-0 defeat to the Red Devils, Ten Hag may find himself either out of a job or start thinking about floating his resume.

Bottom Line

Ten Hag will need to regain last year's pragmatism, where he led the club to a third-place finish and the EFL Cup title — only the sixth title won by the club since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in May 2013.

Casemiro's hamstring injury and a sub-standard attack could hamper his chances of re-acquiring last year's resilience and results. United will also be active during the January transfer window to acquire an in-form forward to support Højlund and perhaps even a short-term Casemiro replacement.

With this week being a crucial one, surviving the week would mean further challenges in the coming four weeks. By Christmas, expect a reinvigorated squad or, more likely, a Ten Hag sacking.