Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes believes that one of his “biggest strengths” on the pitch is underrated.
Ruben Amorim’s reign at Manchester United has gotten off to a rocky start, with just one win, one draw, and two defeats in his opening four matches of the 2025/26 season.
The campaign began with a narrow 1-0 loss to Arsenal, a game in which United showed glimpses of potential despite the result.
That was followed by a lacklustre 1-1 draw away at Fulham, before disaster struck in the Carabao Cup as United were dumped out on penalties by League Two side Grimsby Town after a 2-2 draw.
Amorim’s first victory finally arrived against Burnley, where Bruno Fernandes converted a stoppage-time penalty to secure a dramatic 3-2 win.
With the international break now over, United face a challenging Manchester derby clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, and Amorim will be urging his side to find a more clinical edge.
Fernandes believes one of his “biggest strengths” is underrated
Ahead of this clash, club captain Fernandes was involved in a Premier League YouTube video where he was finding out his ratings for the new EA Sports FC 26 game.
Fernandes was told that his defending on the previous year’s game was at a 65 overall and he believed that was too low for him.
“That was very low, to be honest [a 65 rating on EA Sports FC 25],” he said. “I defend a lot. I’m the one who covers the most distance, so…”
In the end, Fernandes’ defensive rating stayed the same for the new edition of the game even though he feels like a certain type of defending is one of his ‘biggest strengths’.
“Yeah, probably, it’s because I think, for example, one of my biggest strengths is the reaction after losing the ball,” Fernandes continued.
“I’m very quick and switching on like, ‘Lost the ball, we have to defend.’ I think that’s an attribute that, as a midfielder, you need to have.”
Fernandes reaction will be key vs City
Last time United visited City, it was a dramatic 2-1 win where Fernandes scored the equaliser in the 88th minute from the penalty spot.
An offensive contribution like that wouldn’t go amiss on Sunday afternoon, but that energy and second-ball winning in midfield will also be crucial.
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Guardiola’s side are weak when it comes to defensive transitions. Fernandes and his midfield partner have to be the quickest to react in the middle and then opportunities will come on the break.
It will be an interesting game, and Fernandes will likely have a significant part to play in it.
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