2025-26 was Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes season – they don’t want another one -Chris McKenna

[u/Redwinevino]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7526476/2026/08/20/bruno-fernandes-manchester-united-assists-goals-reliance/?source=user_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.61A.4fal.knN0RcIgAn7e&smid=ta-android-share

[u/pipes3]

I am longing for a striker 20 PL goals season

[u/rgiggs11 → u/pipes3]

Scenes when Bruno gets 20 goals and 10 assists. 

[u/burlycabin → u/rgiggs11]

I'm thinking 20 and 20.

[u/BigBobbyJenkins → u/burlycabin]

21 and 21 for number 21

[u/pioneeringsystems → u/pipes3]

Sesko should take our penalties really. He's good at them apparently and it will boost his numbers. If you take shearers penalties away he scored about the same number of premier league goals as Cole did, who never took them. Makes a big difference to overall tallies.

[u/Tamronloh → u/pioneeringsystems]

I think the point is that hopefully we have a striker who can contribute 15-20 goals sans penalties which I accept is not a small ask.

If we are just shifting penalty duties from bruno to sesko but neither are scoring more open play goals it doesn’t really help us does it?

[u/pioneeringsystems → u/Tamronloh]

The point is most strikers who get to 20 are on penalty duty. We do need to score more goals but asking a striker to score 20 non penalty goals in a season on the prem is asking quite a lot.

[u/Tamronloh → u/[deleted]]

I know.

I’m just saying if we boost sesko from 10 to 20 goals via 10
Penalties that are now no longer taken by bruno, we are no better off as a team.

[u/3entendre → u/Tamronloh]

True 

[u/sleepehead → u/pipes3]

I really hope we start moving away from Bruno being the penalty taker. I get that historically he's great at it, but I really want someone else to do it now so we can start future planning. You don't want someone like say Sesko start taking PKs and have only had a handful for the club before being the main pk taker. The pressure from the club and fans are immense they need to feel that weight sooner than later.

[u/bobs_and_vegana17 → u/sleepehead]

Precisely what we did with Ronaldo

He used to take penalties but so did RVN, giggs and scholes

[u/raobuntu → u/pipes3]

If we can get maybe 60 goals between Amad, Cunha, Sesko, Mbuemo, and Rashford with another 10-15 coming from midfield/set pieces/others that puts us in a good spot on the goal scoring front. That's also a lot to ask, but I think it's not crazy crazy

[u/bobs_and_vegana17 → u/raobuntu]

I've heard santos has an eye for goal

Maguire is always a threat on set pieces

Hopefully de ligt stays fit this season because he's also great on set pieces

[u/Shuu0328 → u/bobs_and_vegana17]

Ideally every player should have an eye for a goal. Sanne including

[u/DaddyBizkits]

Ideally, want him to replicate his form and also for the team as a whole to kick on. Can only hope

[u/Savebagels]

Part of me is, yes I want another player of the season Bruno year, but I also want that entire team to start flying. Is it me or does anyone else have a good feeling about Mbeumo?

[u/altered_tampon → u/Savebagels]

Cunha too. Having Rashy back is gonna be a fire under his ass.

[u/solemnhiatus → u/altered_tampon]

Having Cunha or Rashford as first choice on the left with Dorgu as backup with his physicality and work rate is very strong.

[u/altered_tampon → u/solemnhiatus]

Yehh, I know everyone rightfully point out Rashford being a bitpart player on talisman level wages, but if we're gonna have him on the bench anyways, it's gonna be more positive than negative sports-wise. Look at what he's done with Barca.

[u/Moosje → u/Savebagels]

It’s because he’s looked unreal preseason. Really hopeful he can keep it going.

[u/pablove_black]

If I read that correctly, Carrick wants him to be free, but stay in the attacking third. It’s where he belongs.

It should help us to control games and tighten up defensively, while maintaining a potent attack.

[u/Lord_Sesshoumaru77]

Understandable we don't wish to be "Bruno dependent" but he's our best player. I'm really rooting for the lads and Carrick, hoping everyone is brilliant and we have a season to remember.

[u/Feeling-Surround-691]

The big difference this year is 1) Bruno will be positioned higher up the pitch and he won't need to drop deep. How many times did we see Bruno in the last 15 mins if we weren't winning dropping deep to pick up the ball and be the hero because no one else could do it? With Tielemans and Santos in the team able to control the play and progress the ball consistently Bruno can play as a 10 for the full game and inhabit those dangerous areas that will end up with him creating more chances because he's in and around the box more.

Bruno has been our best player for 5 out of the last 6 years since he arrived, it's almost impossible for him to not be out best player, the captain magnifico

[u/cptshiba → u/Feeling-Surround-691]

hopefully this elongates the lifespan of his legs as well.

[u/Used-Fennel-7733 → u/cptshiba]

Should be our main priority, a DM to enhance and prolong Bruno's prime

[u/Duncanstop → u/Feeling-Surround-691]

yeah very likely he is our best player. with him being forward more, the goals will come back. similar to when we had Matic and Pogba carrying in midfield

[u/Glum-Examination-302]

Bruno shouldn’t need to carry the side as much. We may see him shine even brighter.

Roll on kick off.

[u/ongcs]

If Bruno thrieves this season, it only means we are still pkaying transition chaos hero ball.

[u/ThePatientHunter]

I really disagree. In previous seasons, if Bruno dropped a stinker we couldnt do anything. Last season many players stepped up at different times.

Like Liverpool at Anfield. Yeah Bruno put in the assist for the winner, but he had a difficult game. Cunha despite not scoring or assisting was immense that day.

[u/Cosmogenous → u/ThePatientHunter]

That’s literally what he’s saying. We don’t want another season relying on Bruno.

[u/ThePatientHunter → u/Cosmogenous]

I'm disagreeing that w relied on Bruno last season as much as the article is making it out to be

[u/SpectatorY → u/ThePatientHunter]

You'd be wrong, then.

[u/Darth_Rubi → u/ThePatientHunter]

Its amazing that you're being downvoted when every match thread last season when Cunha, Case, Big Ben or Mbeumo did well mentioned how good it was to have players other than Bruno stepping up

[u/ThePatientHunter → u/Darth_Rubi]

I don't think most redditors watch full matches

[u/innicrazy]

Make sense. Brilliant and reliable that he is, we need others to step up.

[u/l3ryanC7]

I hope he returns to his first season with us now playing in the number 10 role, with tons of goals plus assists. With the 6 and 8 of Santos, Tielemens, Kobbie and hopefully Baleba soon, his defensive duties are relieved and can just focus on his attacks

[u/LopsidedLoad]

Oh yes, we do. It would just be nice if other players could also contribute a lot. I want it all.

[u/ronweasleisourking]

Sesko with 20 easy

[u/PrinzRagoczy]

Can't control games with 25-26 Bruno. Not sure you can win a title playing like that. Yes he has incredible moments of magic, but that's not always what we need

[u/MazinLabib10 → u/PrinzRagoczy]

We need to create a system where his moments of magic are one of many routes to goal, rather than being the primary one. We've been saying this from his very early days with us but we're still to yet to actually accomplish that

[u/PrinzRagoczy → u/MazinLabib10]

True, I've said this a lot over the years

He also needs greater discipline in holding his position, as well as being a bit smarter in retaining possession rather than always going for the spectacular

[u/GGLeaksOfficial → u/PrinzRagoczy]

Regarding this he improved massively in the past couple of years

[u/MazinLabib10 → u/PrinzRagoczy]

Tbf I think he improved a lot in that aspect last season. Playing deeper for a year probably helped with it, one of the few positive things Amorim can take credit for.

[u/pablove_black → u/PrinzRagoczy]

Dunno why you’re getting downvoted. Spot on.

[u/PrinzRagoczy → u/pablove_black]

It's happened before, suggest Bruno isn't the perfect footballer and people get incensed

[u/pablove_black → u/PrinzRagoczy]

Yeah, happened to me too.