Manchester United undroppable can benefit from bold Erik ten Hag call amid £91.5million transfer solution

Of Manchester United’s last 100 Premier League fixtures, nobody has been more involved than Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker has started 95 of those games since the mid-point of 2021/22 and of the five he missed he was either suspended, injured or ill.

When he’s fit, Fernandes starts. That has been the way of things for a while now and when the captain has been so essential to making this team tick it’s understandable. For much of that period United have been a team of moments and Fernandes, with his high-risk, high-reward style, can often be the ultimate moments player.

The 30-year-old has made 164 Premier League appearances for United and 161 of them have been starts. The last time he was a substitute for a league game was an Old Trafford defeat to Wolves on January 3, 2022. The season before he came off the bench to turn the tide at West Ham and did so again when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made wholesale changes against Leicester City, with one eye on the Europa League final.

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But when it really matters, Fernandes starts. He is as close to undroppable as it gets at United and a return of 79 goals and 70 assists in 241 games in all competitions has arguably earned him that status, as well as the captaincy.

He barely ever comes off either. Of those 95 starts, he has played all but 58 minutes of a possible 8,550. This week he has lasted the full game against Crystal Palace and FC Twente despite struggling for form in both.

Erik ten Hag is making a case for rotation this season but it seems Fernandes is generally immune from that. With United chasing a goal in both of those games this week, it was considered too risky to take the skipper off.

He is clearly struggling for form right now, however, and towards the end of the game in midweek he looked fatigued. He has been involved in every game this season, even coming on for the final 28 minutes against Barnsley with United already 5-0 up, and played two full games for Portugal in the September international break.

Fernandes clearly wants to be involved as often as he can and his fitness record is extraordinary. That is even more impressive given the injuries that plagued this team last season.

But as he continues to toil and looks out of form, it is time for Ten Hag to add Fernandes to his rotating cast. He can’t just keep playing him, keep piling the minutes hope, and keep his fingers crossed he finds form and freshness.

The need to lean on Fernandes was understandable for most of his Old Trafford career, but it’s not the case anymore. Christian Eriksen can play further forward, while £55m signing Mason Mount is ideal for that role, allowing Fernandes a break.

Ten Hag also has the option of dropping Joshua Zirkzee into that position. The link-up play of the £36.5m forward has been exceptional so far and he could play behind Rasmus Hojlund. There are options to replace Fernandes that United haven’t had before.

When the biggest games roll around you would still want Fernandes on the pitch. He is the best creator in this team, a goal threat in his own right and the captain. But you want the best version of Fernandes and right now we aren’t seeing that.

Ten Hag was asked about Fernandes’ form in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Tottenham fixture, as well as the view he is looking tired.

"I think he is capable, I think he has proven this so many years already in the Premier League that he can create many chances and I am convinced this season he will not do differently this season,” he said.

"He will come on this point and find his form, he will make final passes and score goals, 100 per cent. And it's just a matter of time."

Nobody would disagree that, but that time hasn’t yet arrived. For a long time, he has been undroppable, but that status should change; if it does, it will also benefit the player.