Bruno Fernandes: Man United captain returns with strong showing vs. Burnley | OneFootball

Manchester United battled to a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Burnley in Darren Fletcher’s first, and potentially last, game in charge of the team on a cold winter’s night at Turf Moor.

The Under-18’s coach was thrust into the role in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal on Monday morning, with Travis Binnion and Jonny Evans joining the 41-year-old Scot in the away dugout.

INEOS are set to appointment a permanent caretaker until the end of the season, with Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer considered the frontrunner.

Fletcher switched the Red Devils into a classic 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Fernandes immediately returned to his rightful No 10 role after three weeks out with a hamstring injury.

Fernandes on Form

Fernandes was limited to just 61 minutes after his extended absence – but he made each minute count with an impressing showing, registering 61 touches of the ball.

The Portugal international assisted Benjamin Sesko’s first goal with a brilliantly weighted through ball, which drew United level after Ayden Heaven’s unfortunate own goal gave Burnley the lead.

The captain then almost turned scorer himself after lashing the ball against the post, courtesy of a sublime cross field pass by Lisandro Martinez.

Fernandes was his usual creative self, registering two big chances in addition to his assist for Sesko, and put in a fantastic corner which Heaven should have converted as well as the 19-year-old defender did for his own goal.

Fernandes can be prone to being wasteful in possession. But tonight he was a calm conductor for his side, completing 44 of 50 passes, including an impressive 32 of 37 attempts in the opposition half.

The 31-year-old was less impactful defensively than usual, despite still working as hard, given he was deployed further forward. He finished with one tackle and two recoveries, winning 100% of his ground duels.

Statistics provided by Sofa Score

A Timely Reminder

If Fernandes had been fit enough to play the whole 90, there is a strong sense United would have emerged with all three points tonight, rather than just one.

He remains the team’s best, and most impactful, player, wherever he is placed on the pitch. And his influence off it extends right across Old Trafford, from the dressing room to the media department to the academy.

In a long line of errors and poor judgement by Amorim, the Portuguese coach’s assessment of his compatriot as the beating heart of the club – a view INEOS do not appreciate enough – was his most accurate.

Fernandes came perilously close to departing for the Saudi Pro League last summer after Al-Hilal made overtures to sign him with an eye-watering offer.

INEOS did not explicitly push him to accept, nor did they actively attempt to make him stay. There is a sense that if this offer arrives once more at the end of the season, United’s rulers would be inclined to accept.

The state of the team’s performances and results over the past few weeks in Fernandes’ absence, further evidenced by his effect tonight, show why this would be a disastrous decision – but that appears to be the INEOS modus operandi.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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