His first full season was still better. Don’t know why removing penalties is a factor.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 55
- Goals
- 13
- Assists
- 19
- Yellow cards
- 10
- Red cards
- 3
-
Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
Good point! That was a far better team and he didn't have to carry us all by himself.
No doubt about it now for me. This is his best season.
I don't think it is, why are you comparing him to Bruno? I'm obviously pointing out that Veron shouldn't be lumped in with the likes of Fortune and Chadwick, I'm not saying he was as good for us as Bruno has been.
Not for me he wasn't. You don't play the best part of 400 games for United over the late 90's and early 00's if you are bang average mate.
Since we're comparing Bruno vs Bruno and he's always been excellent from the penalty spot, I think it kind of makes sense to remove them. Whether we get a penalty or not is largely outside of his control.
In any case, the other points still stand. I think that Bruno is a better player overall now. He does a little bit of everything, in a far worse team and his numbers are still excellent.
He’s just named some players who got into Fergie sides that aren’t as good as Bruno. And they aren’t. He could have named others but Veron is a similar sort of player and, as you say, Neville made a shit load of appearances. Which makes them good examples IMO.
Just no.
He is better than Yorke imo, though they're pretty different sorts of players.
What due are you looking for from this game? I thought he topped a good performance with a great goal. I didn’t think he was excellent. A goal doesn’t change that.
Why would you think someone else’s choice of MOTM is odd? I did think Heaven was excellent in fact I thought he was outstanding both in terms of taking responsibility for progressing the ball and also in terms of his defensive contributions. The two blocks before halftime and the play where he got injured were absolutely vital contributions on top of others. I also thought Ugarte was excellent by the way.
He was about as clear a choice for MoTM as you can get, but you're still not able to accept it.
As I said, Heaven was really good while he was on but to give a player that only played just over half a game the MoTM above a player that recorded two assists, scored a cracker, used the ball really well and generally worked his balls off is crazy.
I think you can make the argument, but I’m still taking 2020-21. As a 30 year old he’s clearly at a cerebral peak — he positions himself better in deeper spots, more recently he understands the need to retain possession better etc. but some of the existing flaws are still there: petulance, especially — two sendings off this season!
I know as his biggest fan you won’t agree but I think he was poor-to-average first half of the season and he’s been excellent sort of January onward.
2020-21 was just inevitable with G/As. He was quicker; naturally more of a goal threat… I think in terms of a pure no.10/second striker to just let him do his business and stick two midfielders behind him you’re only really looking at guys like Griezmann, Muller, KDB etc. who were on that sort of level of threat in that area.
I think he's been good since late October and excellent since late January. He may have been average/poor in the beginning of the season, but context matters. The team itself was dogshit and morale was at an all-time low. It's hard to be good in that setting.
As for the red cards: they were of the soft kind I think. They were correct yes, but hardly ugly stuff.
In the end it's a matter of opinion though. I think he's almost just as deadly this season, but with massive improvements in all other aspects too. And for that reason I would say that this is his best season for us.
Best midfielder in the league in 2025.
I prefer this version over his 2020/2021 version. He's a more cerebral player now.
I prefer this version over his 2020/2021 version. He's a more cerebral player now.
I’m so glad Bruno has placed himself amongst United’s best all time playmakers. That’s where he belongs and will rightly be etched into the legacy of the football club.
Kind of like last season, he ended it really well but was poor until the March run - this season I think he can be more influential in the deeper role (and candidly it it probably better for the team overall) plus it prolongs his career. The big difference this season seems to be set pieces in my opinion, corners and freekicks suddenly seem more dangerous for whatever reason.
I don’t want to have to be this person because Bruno really has been in great form but part of the issue has been that Bruno excels when he’s able to play the role of a hero.
My question has always been how effective can he be when he isn’t central to everything and has to play part of a role in a team vs being its saviour. From his time at Sporting and seasons here, he seems to be at his best when he’s at the heart of everything.
I see him as a Riquelme type of player, not in style but how to get the best out of him you make him the system.
The question is can he repeat this effectiveness in an actual competitive and winning team. His stats will go down and he wouldn’t be the sole creative outlet. When people plug him into top teams he wouldn’t get the same level of responsibility. At United we truly have one of the worst attacks and creativity for a ‘top side’ and that was even before Amad went down, it’s much worse now.
It was kind of the same last season, once we started having nothing to play for around Feb/March he put on one of his best runs of form to end the season.
I just feel like each start of the season we try to implement a style that isn’t Bruno centred to not much success for him or the team, then things fall apart and he ‘saves’ us. It’s an unpopular view but the question does need to be asked around his effectiveness if he isn’t the hero or whether the team can win with him being a hero but having better players around him. The Gerrard conundrum in a nutshell with a player not as good as slippy.
My question has always been how effective can he be when he isn’t central to everything and has to play part of a role in a team vs being its saviour. From his time at Sporting and seasons here, he seems to be at his best when he’s at the heart of everything.
I see him as a Riquelme type of player, not in style but how to get the best out of him you make him the system.
The question is can he repeat this effectiveness in an actual competitive and winning team. His stats will go down and he wouldn’t be the sole creative outlet. When people plug him into top teams he wouldn’t get the same level of responsibility. At United we truly have one of the worst attacks and creativity for a ‘top side’ and that was even before Amad went down, it’s much worse now.
It was kind of the same last season, once we started having nothing to play for around Feb/March he put on one of his best runs of form to end the season.
I just feel like each start of the season we try to implement a style that isn’t Bruno centred to not much success for him or the team, then things fall apart and he ‘saves’ us. It’s an unpopular view but the question does need to be asked around his effectiveness if he isn’t the hero or whether the team can win with him being a hero but having better players around him. The Gerrard conundrum in a nutshell with a player not as good as slippy.
Yorke was instrumental in a league-winning campaign and went on a rampage across Europe in a Ballon D’or level season going toe to toe with the best teams and defenders on the planet and came out of it looking like a superstar. His attitude and indifference after the fact is another discussion, and obviously so is longevity, but outright best, and peak performance? They’re not in the same discussion.
Not to even slight Bruno, but a key component in a treble-winning team is not his wheelhouse, unless you or anyone else believes he could usurp Yorke in the same team and circumstances.
I can appreciate that mate, but I'm simply pointing out that you can't lump someone like Phil Neville who was a good solid player for us for a decade and then went onto captain a decent Everton side for a number of years. In with a player like Luke Chadwick who never even played 50 games for United and didn't play at the top level again after leaving United.
Yorke also had a team of players alongside him that are incomparable to what we have at the moment. You say 'a key component in a treble-winning team is not his wheelhouse' but that's only because he's not in a team capable of it. I absolutely believe he's good enough to be a part of a treble winning team. Yorke was brilliant at his best but I don't think his top level was anything like as overwhelmingly superior to Bruno's as you seem to. And Bruno has maintained a level for longer in a MUCH worse side.
Also, saying would he usurp Yorke is asking the wrong question. He wouldn't because he doesn't play that position and has different skillset.
Going by the players I've watched since becoming a United fan , between 95 and onwards, I think Bruno would make my 2nd best United 11.
Yorke at his peak (albeit a short one) was the best striker in Europe, his all-round game was top notch too, then you add in his chemistry with Cole which was almost telepathic it makes him irreplaceable in that 99 team. Bruno doesn't get into that 99 team, it's not a slight on him though as the team was perfectly put together in terms of chemistry and team building.
Strange thing to point out.
I think Bruno is our 4th best attacking midfielder/second striker of all time. It goes something like this (the order of the top 3 can be discussed of course):
1. Charlton
2. Cantona
3. Rooney
4. Bruno
I also think he has an argument for top 5 CM (obviously behind Robson, Keane and Scholes. Possibly behind Ince and Carrick, although I rate Bruno higher than the latter at least).
Another side note: I would have loved to see Bruno and Rooney together in a 4-4-2.
1. Charlton
2. Cantona
3. Rooney
4. Bruno
I also think he has an argument for top 5 CM (obviously behind Robson, Keane and Scholes. Possibly behind Ince and Carrick, although I rate Bruno higher than the latter at least).
Another side note: I would have loved to see Bruno and Rooney together in a 4-4-2.
No, this is about the individual; Yorke enhanced an already incredible team and was one of the chief catalysts - in his own right - to what they went on to achieve.
Bruno has played support striker before and that would be the overlap for comparison.
I think this is fair and also I think it shows the issue with the 'X wouldn't get into Y team's, because those situations rely on so many unknowns that they're next to useless as hypotheticals. If fergie had Bruno at his disposal for that season would be have found a way to tweak the system to work him into the side and give him regular minutes? Yes, I absolutely think so. Does Bruno get into the '99 team as it was, rigidly, player for player? Probably not.
Exactly. It’s setting Bruno up for failure to elevate him to such a comparison. Needlessly, too.
I love Yorke. Supremely talented forward but his work ethic and performances post treble kinda pissed me off tbh.
Thankfully his strike partner, Cole, went up a level.
Thankfully his strike partner, Cole, went up a level.
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Well yes then, I do think Bruno could take a comparable side up levels as Yorke did, while also being one of the chief catalysts of what the side achieved. He hasn't had the chance to prove it because we're shite.
And the comparison is flawed precisely because you're comparing a position that's not Bruno's best (but that he has played) with Yorke's natural position. I know it's a silly comparison for the sale of illustrating a point, but you wouldn't compare schmeical (sp?!) with O'Shea would you?
Fair enough but as I said I thought it was strange to lump those players together as if they were in some way comparable.
But anyway Bruno...
Absolutely.
The Yorke comparison is completely pointless. Football 25 years ago was very direct, and 9 out of 10 teams were playing 4-4-2.
People mocked me here for suggesting that he would have been a star if he had played in Fergie’s team. Glad he made critics shut up. His stats over his entire period at United are excellent. For chances created, it’s just insane. He holds a distant first with just under 500 chances created in five years in the EPL. Kevin De Bruyne, who is second, created almost hundred fewer, and TAA is just 40 behind second.
Between March 16, 2020, and March 16, 2025, Bruno Fernandes has created the most chances in the Premier League, with 489 chances created.
Kevin De Bruyne follows with 397 chances created, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is third with 357.
Source: StatMuse
I love Bruno, he's one of the few positives at United in the last number of years. He's got a lot of heart and passion and he's an incredibly talented footballer. The United shirt I wear most often is Bruno's because he's often the one saving our ass and maybe even more so, he's one of the top professionals we have at the club, and he seems to truly get what it means to play for United.
I do however agree with a lot you are saying. Bruno has been and will always be a moments player. He will provide highlight reel moments throughout the season and save our ass repeatedly, but he is more a Ronaldo than a Messi. You put Ronaldo in a team, and he will score goals no matter what, but he doesn't play for the team, he plays for himself. Ronaldo's last season at United he scored a ton of goals, but no one else did, the first season without him and we scored very similar number of goals but spread throughout the whole team. Messi is a player that while able to score a lot himself, he is a team player that makes everyone around him better and he creates chances for other players and they take him, the team plays better. Personally, I liked Ronaldo more than Messi, but that actually came after he left United, because I was a fan of his more than I would have been a fan of the clubs he played for, while at United I thought he racked up the numbers for himself but hurt the overall team dynamic.
At this point I would say we have far bigger concerns than Bruno. I don't think there should be any talk of replacing him this summer, he's one of our best players and has earned the respect to not have those conversations about him after this season. But if we do really want to progress as a team, at some point that discussion will need to be had.
But right now, Bruno Bruno Bruno, he comes from Sporting like Cristiano, he goes left, he goes right, he makes defenses look shite, he's our Portuguese Magnifico
I disagree, I thought Ugarte as example was better over 90 mins. Heaven I thought was so good in time on pitch that, while I’d agree that is unusual to get MOTM for 60 mins, I’d would absolutely break protocol for performance there.
In your head it was clear choice, goes without saying.
Context though, he played well…great goal but third goal in 3-0 last minute. Messed up two counters for third before that.
Two assists? Only in paper. First was speculative pass that should be dealt with…ended with Hojlund, facing a defender running 30 yards, pushed wide scoring with great finish. This is only assist on paper as nobody else touched ball since Bruno. Did anyone think there was a good chance we would score from that pass, expect a goal? Second assist is even worse. Not even sure he touched it after playing the wrong pass initially and it coming back to him. If he did it was toe poke that ended up near Garnacho.
Wonder where he'll get when he'd really win something with us. Probably would erase the thoughts of Pele, Maradona and R9 in one go.
Poor guy. Must have been hard carrying around the majority position about a fan favorite that nobody questions as being the current best player of the team.
Seriously, is there a thread where a noteworthy amount of people are critical of him? I'd love to see it, would be a win win for all of us.Not sure I subscribe to that. I can see the point about Bruno certainly having good individual stats (and that they might have a certain effect on the overall picture) but I don't think, that is because he isn't a team player. I think, he absolutely is and there is simply no reason (that I can see or feel at least) that he would be more of a Ronaldo than a Messi. The reason we suck hard isn't because of Bruno. It is because of the way we play football. It isn't Brunos fault that he is the only one to at least stay productive within this frame. We simply don't know how his output and performances would change in a different setup.
There is no point in selling him now anyway. The point might have been last summer or the summer before. Not because he was bad then or we were better but because the funds he would have generated could have been used to improve the rest of the squad given that we didn't look like going anywhere with the available squad and the amount of additions needed. Would have also enabled Bruno to win something. Not a popular position, no doubt, not saying it would be the most reasonable or smart or anything and given our transfer record it might have ended up an outright mistake but the point still stands: it was never really about selling him because he wouldn't be a good player or not important to us. He is and he was. Thats a fact as much as the downward trend of the team at the same time is a fact.
Ok, that dosage will be enough for the day for me.
I agree with this. That being said, his finish for the goal was great and he still offered a very good performance in total. Whether thats MotM or not is personal decision at the end of the day and I wouldn't go into battle against somebody who thinks he was. I'll use the chance to state that I agree, he definitely takes a bit more care of the ball and doesn't seem too rushed in the last few games which is a good thing. Lets see if he can maintain that though, when the going gets a little tougher.
@Pogue Mahone No.
I typically stay out of this debate but this is an extremely reductive way of looking at Bruno's performance from last night. You can have whatever opinion you want about who was MotM, but to discredit all of his efforts in such a blatantly biased way is ridiculous.
First was a midfielder putting a striker through on goal, distance be damned. If your through ball allows the striker to get into a position to take a clear shot that counts as a chance in every football game. I didn't expect Hojlund to hit it so well on his weaker side, but if it was a right sided striker I'd absolutely expect a goal/shot on target there the moment the pass is played. I don't see how that can be debated.
You don't want to count the second because it was a toe poke in a scramble, ok. But he still has to make it.
The most reductive part is your assessment is the third goal. Every goal is precious for a team that is sitting at negative GD. It builds confidence in the manager and the players. Someone like Dalot will be more willing to take risks from that. And when Bruno scored there was still 8 minutes to play. If Leicester scored a jammy one at 2-0, we'd have 8 minutes of hanging on. 3-0 killed the game and it is an important goal. Not to mention the sheer quality of the strike.
It is quite clear you cannot be objective when it comes to Bruno.You are so salty people are seeing him positively, it's quite comical.Wonder where he'll get when he'd really win something with us. Probably would erase the thoughts of Pele, Maradona and R9 in one go.
Poor guy. Must have been hard carrying around the majority position about a fan favorite that nobody questions as being the current best player of the team.
Not sure I subscribe to that. I can see the point about Bruno certainly having good individual stats (and that they might have a certain effect on the overall picture) but I don't think, that is because he isn't a team player. I think, he absolutely is and there is simply no reason (that I can see or feel at least) that he would be more of a Ronaldo than a Messi. The reason we suck hard isn't because of Bruno. It is because of the way we play football. It isn't Brunos fault that he is the only one to at least stay productive within this frame. We simply don't know how his output and performances would change in a different setup.
There is no point in selling him now anyway. The point might have been last summer or the summer before. Not because he was bad then or we were better but because the funds he would have generated could have been used to improve the rest of the squad given that we didn't look like going anywhere with the available squad and the amount of additions needed. Would have also enabled Bruno to win something. Not a popular position, no doubt, not saying it would be the most reasonable or smart or anything and given our transfer record it might have ended up an outright mistake but the point still stands: it was never really about selling him because he wouldn't be a good player or not important to us. He is and he was. Thats a fact as much as the downward trend of the team at the same time is a fact.
Ok, that dosage will be enough for the day for me.
Possibly one of the worst posts on this thread, and there's been some shockers!
Quite easily a MoTM performance from Bruno last night, was a complete performance.
He didn't need to make the run he did for his goal, he could have just held his position and been lazy, but no, he wanted to score, to get the win and put the result beyond doubt.