Bruno Fernandes is becoming the most versatile player in the Manchester United squad under Erik ten Hag, switching from left to right and playing like an attɑcker.
Under Erik ten Hag, Bruno Fernandes is becoming the most versatile player in the Manchester United squad, switching from left to right and playing like an attɑcker.
Bruno’s excellent performance on the right wing helped Manchester United to a 3-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth. In Ten Hag’s 4-2-3-1 formation, he plays in this position; the central midfield position will be filled by someone else.
Bruno is well-known for his mutant passes and effective frontal attɑck participation. So, what prompted the Portuguese midfielder to alter his style of play?
Man United’s most important midfielder is Bruno Fernandes. Photographer: AFP
When is Bruno going to play to the right?
So far in the Premier League, the Portuguese midfielder has only played once on the right wing; the rest of the matches have been played in that direction. Bruno frequently played like this in the second half when Manchester United led by one goal after 45 minutes.
Typically, “Red Devils” win from the start of the season. Only the match against Real Sociedad in the Europa League must result in a minimum loss. Donny van de Beek took over the attɑcking position at the top of midfield from Bruno that day.
Bruno Fernandes in action during a League Cup match. Photographer: AFP
Why does Ten Hag prefer Bruno to play to the right?
When Manchester United wants to force a team to play in a “ɑggressive” style, this is the answer. When Manchester United signed Casemiro this summer, they became a very good counter-attɑcking team because the Brazilian midfielder knew how to switch states well.
Man United will benefit from two factors when Bruno plays on the right wing. For starters, when the midfielder plays like this, the team’s other dangerous attɑckers will stay in the center of the field and benefit from many of Bruno’s high-quality crosses. Second, when MU’s strikers are concentrated in the middle like that, the opponent’s defense will be scked in the middle, giving Bruno space to finish even if the angle of the shot is not particularly beautiful. Is there anything more than nothing?
Bruno’s excellent running skills and passing from the right helped Rashford score against Bournemouth. Image taken from a video
Bruno promotes his strengths of running without the ball and becoming a dangerous explosive point in quick counter-attɑcks no matter where he kcks. This midfielder is not a model that relies solely on speed, particularly physical strength, to outwit opponents on the wing. Furthermore, Bruno’s ability to dribble the ball is not skilled, limiting his time to keep the ball in his feet. As a result, fans frequently see the Portuguese star pass quickly or with only one touch when receiving the ball in order to avoid being caught.
Ten Hag can limit some of MU’s weaknesses on this wing by pushing Bruno to the right. Antony is ɑggressive, but his finishing abilities are limited. Anthony Elanga is ineligible. Jadon Sancho is unsure when he will recover from his depression. Ten Hag will not cause MU to fall into a state of one-sided deviation by doing so.