Manchester United star labelled the ‘biggest disappointment in the Premier League’

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been labelled the ‘biggest disappointment in the Premier League’.

Fernandes has been one of the most consistent and influential players at Old Trafford since his £67m move from Sporting Lisbon in 2020, winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award three times.

But the Portugal international has endured an underwhelming start to the season, failing to score in 11 games and making just one assist.

Fernandes has also picked up two unfortunate but avoidable red cards, being sent off in the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham and the 3-3 draw with Porto.

The 30-year-old is certainly not the only Manchester United player struggling to find form, with the Red Devils slipping to 14th in the Premier League following a dismal start to the campaign under struggling boss Erik ten Hag.

But former Liverpool and Ireland midfielder Jason McAteer has singled out Fernandes for criticism, calling him the ‘biggest disappointment in the Premier League this season.’

‘I think Bruno Fernandes is a fantastic talent, he’s just in the wrong environment,’ McAteer told GamblingZone. ‘I want to see more from him and more maturity from him.

‘Manchester United are in turmoil right now and you need your captain to demonstrate proper leadership in these types of situations. He’s so petulant. He should be setting an example.

‘There’s a lot of really good young players in that United team: Garnacho, Mainoo, Hojlund. These are really good young players.

‘Bruno Fernandes needs to be setting an example, and getting sent off in consecutive games is not the example to set.

‘It’s been a really difficult period for Manchester United. They’ve started the season terribly. I’m really disappointed in Bruno Fernandes’ contributions in games and how he’s behaved.

‘That’s not how a Manchester United captain should be showing his attributes or behaving.

‘His attitude and performances, considering the role he has at a giant of a football club in Manchester United, have been the biggest disappointment for me in the Premier League this season.’

United are struggling under a manager they considered replacing in the summer and McAteer has described the decision to give Ten Hag a new contract as ‘bewildering’.

‘Manchester United’s decision to give Erik ten Hag a new contract in the summer is a decision I’m still scratching my head about. I find it bewildering,’ he added.

‘From what we were hearing on the outside, United did speak to a few candidates to replace him in the summer.

‘They obviously didn’t get their man. To then go and pin all of their hopes on ten Hag and to give him over a hundred million to spend looks like a crazy decision if you had doubts about him in the first place, which they clearly did.

‘The players heads would have been scrambled in the dressing room. I think they were all expecting a new manager to come in, and then they find out that ten Hag is staying.

‘Ineos have come in and they’ve completely overhauled the football team at an executive level. There was a sense of excitement that they would fix the problems at the club.

‘They’ve appointed Dan Ashworth to oversee that strategy and move the club forward. He’s got a brilliant reputation as has Jason Wilcox – you would think they will get it right at some point, but you have to question their decision-making on what they’ve done over the last four months.

‘The Manchester United job is too big for Ten Hag. He’s shown that, over the last 10 games when pressure is on, he can’t step up to the mark. I think he’s lost the dressing room.

‘The United players look bewildered with what’s going on – you can see that from a lot of their performances. Bruno Fernandes looks utterly frustrated with the situation and I think a lot of his attitude is born out of a frustration with what’s going on behind the scenes and Erik ten Hag’s training and ideas.

‘The Manchester United players look lost under this manager.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.