Manchester United will be hoping they can bounce back from two draws in a row later today against Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils have had patchy form since the international break, beating Southampton 3-0 and Barnsley 7-0, before a 0-0 draw away to Crystal Palace and a 1-1 draw at home to FC Twente in the Europa League.
Erik ten Hag will be desperate for his side to beat the Lilywhites at Old Trafford this afternoon and leapfrog them in the Premier League table. Ange Postecoglou and his team sit one place ahead of United in the league, thanks to their goal difference of plus four.
The big clash at Old Trafford could see Ten Hag rotate his side after some frustrating results, including his captain, Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes’ form so far this season
It has been a very disappointing start to the season for United’s Portuguese talismanic midfielder Fernandes. The former Sporting man has looked far from his electric best, and his dip in form has certainly impacted the Red Devils this term.
There are a few factors as to why the attacking midfielder has struggled so much. Perhaps it is getting used to playing with new signings around him, including Joshua Zirkzee, or simply a turn of poor form, something every player can experience.
This term, the stats suggest that the Red Devils skipper has been far off the boil. As per Sofascore, Fernandes has averaged just 1.2 key passes per game and has just one assist to his name so far. His passing has been wayward, and he lost the ball a whopping 53 times against Palace and Twente combined.
|
Fernandes attacking stats 2024/25 PL season so far |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Expected goals |
1.86xG |
|
Big chances missed |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Expected assists |
1.32xA |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.2 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
|
The United number eight has been so consistent for the Red Devils during his time at the club, scoring 79 goals and grabbing 70 assists in 249 games so far. Now, in a tough spell, he will no doubt be desperate to rediscover his best form.
Should Ten Hag decide to rotate Fernandes out of the side this weekend, the perfect replacement could be Mason Mount.
Mount’s time at United so far
It is fair to say that Mount’s time at United has not been how he nor the fans would have envisaged so far.
The England international joined the club during the 2023 summer window for a fee of £55m plus £5m in add-ons. He is now one of their highest earners, and is reportedly on £250k per week, making him the club’s third-highest earner.
However, his Red Devils career so far has been plagued by injury. Mount has played just 24 times for United, scoring once against Brentford last term, a late goal that was moments away from being a winner.
With that being said, the former Chelsea midfielder, who is a graduate of the esteemed Cobham academy, has missed 178 games and 32 matches through three separate injury issues, with a calf injury the biggest issue last season.
Despite his injury problems, there is no doubting Mount’s quality, and that was on show in just 11 minutes last Wednesday against Twente. The United number seven completed 100% of his passes and created one chance against the Dutch outfit, as per Sofascore.
Mount was described as a “maestro” by football statistician Statman Dave, and it certainly feels like United fans are yet to see the best of him in that famous red shirt. Although he has shown flashes of brilliance, injury issues have hampered his progress so far.
Should he get a start against the Lilywhites, Ten Hag will no doubt hope Mount can put his fitness problems behind him and use the clash against the North London outfit as a catalyst to finding his best form for United.
