Manchester United are repeating a mistake made with Juan Mata with his former teammate Bruno Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes cut a frustrated figure during Manchester United’s defeat to City. Not only was he captaining his side to a home loss, he was a peripheral figure on the outside of the action.
Perhaps it would have been the same outcome had Fernandes been in the centre, but in this game, Fernandes was stationed out on the right wing.
He touched the ball only 49 times and completed only 25 passes. His positioning severely limited his ability to influence the game, and it is an experiment Manchester United fans are growing frustrated with.
Bruno Fernandes on the right does not work
Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United’s most creative player, but he is not a winger. He does not have the pace or trickery to beat a man, nor the discipline to stay out on the touchline. City were able to drag him out of position and exploit this, adding to his frustration.
This is a position Manchester United need to get right, because newly signed striker Rasmus Hojlund needs service. And he’s not getting it.
Antony appears incapable of delivering from the right, while Jadon Sancho is banished, which has led to United exploring other options.
One advantage of playing Bruno Fernandes on the right is that it opens up the number 10 position for another player. But when this is Scott McTominay, you are essentially sacrificing the role purely in the hope he scores a goal.
Juan Mata proved this does not work
If the defeat to City felt like watching re-run of a match we have seen before, it’s because it did feel like a repeat, with a new manager falling trap to the same mistakes.
David Moyes and Louis van Gaal both persisted playing Juan Mata out on the right wing after his £37.1 million transfer from Chelsea in 2014. It was a waste of his talent. At least United had Wayne Rooney back then, vying for a space in the number 10 role.
This time around, Bruno Fernandes is by far and away the best option for the position, yet is being shunted out to the right.
It’s a waste of his ability, and United paid even more for him than for Mata, an initial £47 million.
Fernandes now wears Mata’s old number eight shirt, which makes it even more striking
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