Bruno Fernandes has been sensational for Man Utd in 2025/26 but Michael Carrick might have to manage his minutes more than any other Old Trafford boss.
Bruno Fernandes has missed only 17 games in six-and-a-half years at Manchester United(Image: (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images))
It looks certain that Manchester United will get to see more of Bruno Fernandes. Fresh from breaking the Premier League’s single-season assist record, the Portuguese playmaker will lead the club’s attempts to catch Manchester City and Arsenal next season, as well as their return to the Champions League.
Fernandes came close to leaving Old Trafford last summer and was considering his future midway through this season, but he ended the campaign with a string of individual awards and in a happy place, sharing the view that momentum was gathering for United.
The 31-year-old heads to the World Cup with Portugal in the form of his life. His return of 21 assists and nine goals from 35 Premier League games did more than anyone to lift United to third.
Fernandes is one of several players at Old Trafford who benefited from the reduced schedule, although his durability during six-and-a-half years at the club has never really been in question. One of his greatest strengths is his availability.
He has made 327 appearances since joining United from Sporting CP in January 2020. To put that into context, he has missed only 17 matches in that period.
That is an incredible record, but Fernandes turns 32 in September, and playing that much football eventually takes its toll. He is now approaching an age where it might be harder to do and where the past six years begin to catch up with him.
That is something United need to try and avoid, and their captain will need protecting next season. For the first time, the head coach might need to manage his availability, and that will be a challenge for Michael Carrick.
Under previous bosses, Fernandes has essentially played whenever he is fit. He has started 37 of United’s 42 Europa League games since joining the club, 21 of 25 FA Cup ties, and even 9 Carabao Cup games.
He played the full game in the third and fourth rounds of the latter competition in the year United won it. He even came on against Barnsley in September 2024, then played the full game against Leicester City in the fourth round that year.
In United’s 2024/25 run to the Europa League final, he missed one game through suspension and played all but nine minutes of the other 14 games, only missing the end of the draw in Porto because he got sent-off.
This kind of game time should now be unsustainable. Fernandes should be nowhere near the Carabao Cup until the semi-final next season. He could sit out the FA Cup until the quarter-final.
He will rightly be desperate to play in the Champions League, but the new format means there will be eight league phase games, two of which against teams from the lowest pot. Surely Fernandes could be rested for one or two of those matches, or at least used from the bench.
Managing his minutes more than any previous United boss has done will hopefully help Carrick get more out of him for longer. It’s clear Fernandes remains the most important player in this team and they need to stretch that out for as long as possible.
The question for Carrick will be who can step in for the captain, who has proved himself indispensable over the last half-dozen years. While United should have one eye on a potential long-term successor to Fernandes, such as Morgan Rogers or Morgan Gibbs-White, for now, they need short-term options.
There are two that stand out, each offering a different skill set. Matheus Cunha is the attack-minded No. 10. The Brazilian is the most likely to get close to Fernandes’ numbers in front of goal and offers the same kind of creativity and ingenuity behind a striker.
The alternative is Mason Mount, whose numbers aren’t the same but whose intelligence can often be considered a strength in opening the game up and creating space for others.
Mount twice started in a deep midfield role for Carrick towards the end of the season, and he was particularly impressive in the final day win at Brighton, but during his career, he has regularly played as an attacking midfielder and could do so again.
There is certainly no reason why Cunha and Mount can’t start enough games between them in cup competitions to give Fernandes the rest he needs to make sure he can prolong his performances at this level.
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2026-06-11 05:00:00
