Bruno Fernandes has for so long been Manchester United’s shining light, often being the man to get themselves out of trouble during the Ruben Amorim tenure.
The Red Devils may have finished in 15th place last campaign, but it didn’t stop the Portuguese international from ending 2024/25 with a total of 37 combined goals and assists.
However, the £200m spending spree during the recent summer window has seen some of the responsibility taken off his shoulders – as seen by the goals scored by Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo against Brighton.
As a result, the 31-year-old has since dropped into a slightly deeper midfield role, resulting in Bruno only registering two goals and one assist from his first nine Premier League outings in 2025/26.
Amorim could be utilising the club captain in such a role to try and bridge the gap to one player who has prematurely offloaded during the tenure of the previous management team.
Man Utd’s mammoth mistake in selling McTominay
To combat their heavy spending in recent years, the United hierarchy have had to offload numerous players from their books to prevent any financial problems.
Midfielder Scott McTominay was one of the players sacrificed by the board, with the Scottish international leaving in a £25m deal to join Napoli in the summer of 2024.
Such a deal was seen as excellent business at the time, with the midfielder often receiving a fair amount of criticism from the supporters over his displays at Old Trafford.
However, he’s taken his career to the next level in Naples, thriving under Antonio Conte’s guidance in 2024/25 as the Italian outfit claimed the Serie A title.
The 28-year-old scored 12 times and registered four assists in Italy’s top-flight, subsequently winning the division’s MVP award, whilst also being nominated for the Balon d’Or.
The former Red Devil has continued his phenomenal form into the current campaign, with his sensational strike against Inter Milan on Saturday securing the club all three points.
His £25m departure now appears to be a huge mistake, but Amorim shouldn’t be worried with the manager already stumbling upon his next version of the Scotsman.
The United star who’s becoming their next McTominay
Whilst Bruno has largely operated in the role vacated by McTominay, numerous other talents have also shared the responsibility at the heart of the United side.
Manuel Ugarte joined a £50m transfer from PSG last summer, with the hierarchy seeing him as the perfect player to fill the void left by the departing academy star.
However, the Uruguayan has subsequently fallen way below the expectations of the fanbase, with Amorim only starting two of the club’s nine Premier League outings in 2025/26.
Kobbie Mainoo was a first-team mainstay before the 40-year-old’s arrival last year, but like Ugarte, he’s found minutes extremely hard to come by within the starting eleven.
The Englishman has failed to start a single game and only appeared for a total of 138 minutes off the bench in England’s top-flight during the current campaign.
The aforementioned duo’s lack of impact is largely due to the performances of Casemiro, with the Brazilian international nailing down a starting role to the surprise of many.
He’s previously been slated by numerous figures over the years, with Jamie Carragher infamously stating ‘the football has left him’ and that he needs to move to Saudi Arabia.
Such a situation is similar to that of McTominay, with the former United star taking his career to unimaginable heights after his own switch out of Manchester.
However, Casemiro has managed to turn his Red Devils career around in recent months and subsequently shut up a lot of his doubters along the way in the process.
The “world-class” star, as dubbed by Gus Poyet, has started seven times in the Premier League this year, registering two goals and an assist within his recent outings.
His latest showing against Brighton was arguably his best of 2025/26, scoring once and teeing up compatriot Cunha for his goal for the Red Devils.
Casemiro – stats against Brighton
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
70
Touches
48
Passes completed
25
Passes into final third
7
Tackles made
3
Clearances
1
Interceptions made
2
Recoveries
5
Stats via FotMob
Casemiro’s underlying stats further showcase how impressive he was against the Seagulls, with the 33-year-old having a huge effect at both ends of the football field.
Tallies such as three tackles and five recoveries made highlight his importance without the ball – arguably being the perfect all-round option at the heart of the side to allow Bruno to express himself in attacking areas.
Such a turnaround in form is huge credit to the experienced midfielder, with his recent outings making him one of the club’s most important players at present.
His partnership with Bruno has allowed for the recent impressive form – potentially saving Amorim’s job and allowing him to reach new heights in his tenure.
