Bruno Fernandes has undoubtedly been Manchester United's most influential player since he signed for the club in January 2020, but he's in for a big challenge under Ralf Rangnick.
He does remain one of my favourite players at Old Trafford and without him, United would be in a much worse position - perhaps not even competing in the Champions League.
Last season, he was United's most prolific player, both in front of goal and on the assist front.
In total, he scored 28 goals and provided 21 assists in 58 games, which were borderline Frank Lampard numbers, in terms of the number of goals scored from a midfield player.
Arguably, Fernandes was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's most important signing and definitely fits the mould of the type of player United should always be looking at, but he's about to embark on his toughest period at Old Trafford.
There's no doubt that there has been a bit of a drop-off - not a huge one though.
This season, he's scored four goals in 18 matches but has provided nine assists, which is impressive. However, he hasn't put the ball in the net since September and that is undoubtedly a bit of a concern, especially due to the fact he's been seen as the club's talisman.
The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo has definitely had an impact on his performance levels because his role has changed. Whilst he was seen drifting forward in the 18-yard area last season, like a false nine, he's had to sit back this season, to try and find his teammate in the box instead.
But perhaps the biggest flaw to Fernandes this season has been his pressing.
27-year-old Fernandes has been hitting his lowest pressing stats since he signed for United and despite being a focal point in the team, he is a player that influences others around him. He's that important!
In the 2019/20 season, Fernandes averaged 19.7 pressures per 90 and last season, this improved with a rate of 20.7 per 90. However, in the current season, he's averaged 18 pressures per 90 - a slight drop-off which has been evident in games.
Remember the first Manchester City goal in the derby? Fernandes tried to close down his fellow Portuguese international, Joao Cancelo, but failed to get tight to his marker and consequently, he ran straight past him to cross the ball, which Eric Bailly deflected into his own net.
With Rangnick set to become United's interim coach, he is a man who's considered the 'godfather' of German football. Jurgen Klopp has said he is the 'best German coach' and if it wasn't for him, the philosophy of 'Gegenpressing' perhaps wouldn't be a thing.
In a conference Rangnick did with The Coaches Voice, he was asked to explain his philosophy, in which he explained that you cannot do 'a little bit' of pressing;
He said: “You need to be aware what kind of football do you really want to play? I’m not talking a little bit of this, a little bit of that, maybe a little bit of that, a little bit of pressing.
“I mean, come on, what is a little bit of pressing? A little bit of pressing is like a little bit pregnant. Either you are pregnant or not. Either you want to play pressing or not. But please, not a little bit of pressing.”
Clearly, there are other United players who are far worse at pressing than Fernandes that will need to change their ways, but evidently, United's talisman has had a drop-off this season and he will need to improve this part to his game.
It's also important to highlight Fernandes because he's been United's most important player for the past two years and fans want to see him shine under the Rangnick regime. This has been an area that has been lacking this season, but this will only improve under the German.
Definitely exciting times for United and if Fernandes improves this element to his game, it could be special.
Stats sourced from FBRef.com
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