{"id":264885,"date":"2026-09-28T18:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/man-utd-could-seal-their-best-signing-since-fernandes-to-save-carricks-job\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T18:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:15:11","slug":"man-utd-could-seal-their-best-signing-since-fernandes-to-save-carricks-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/28\/man-utd-could-seal-their-best-signing-since-fernandes-to-save-carricks-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Utd could seal their best signing since Fernandes to save Carrick’s job"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The end of last season didn’t end with a trophy for Manchester United<\/a>, but a third-place finish felt as good as that.<\/p>\n

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Indeed, from the turn of the year to the end of the season, the Red Devils were the best side in the Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Well, how fast things change. United are now in a rut. It’s their worst start after five games since the 2014\/15 season when Louis van Gaal was in charge.<\/p>\n

Michael Carrick is failing to get a tune out of his players, and at the centre of their woes has been an underperforming Bruno Fernandes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n Why Man Utd need to see more from Fernandes<\/strong>
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Last season, there wasn’t a single player in the Premier League who could light a candle to Bruno’s performances.<\/p>\n

The skipper was utterly spellbinding, ending the league campaign with 21 assists to his name. No player has ever recorded that many assists in a single league season. He beat a record held by the great Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Manchester\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

2026\/27 has not been quite as kind to the Portuguese just yet. The 32-year-old scored a hat-trick against Ipswich, but those remain his only Premier League goals of the season. Fernandes has just a solitary assist to shout about too.<\/p>\n

He has not been bad, far from it. He still tops the charts for passes completed in the final third this season and for successful passes into the penalty area compared to every player in the top flight.<\/p>\n

As a result, perhaps it is down to his teammates? Fernandes may be struggling slightly with his own form but if the performances of his colleagues improve, he will no doubt register more assists.<\/p>\n

Still, they could do with seeing more from him. Against Fulham, he hit the post when he should have scored and as a whole, he struggled to get into the game.<\/p>\n

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\"Bruno\n <\/picture>Reuters\/Lee Smith<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The captain supplied four key passes, but only two of his 12 crosses were accurate and he won just two of his five duels.<\/p>\n

So, how can Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co provide their star man with more quality ahead of him? Well, here’s an idea.<\/p>\n

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\n How Man Utd can seal their best signing since Fernandes<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Man United certainly had an interesting summer transfer window. They improved the midfield significantly with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba.<\/p>\n

It was a year on from a rebuild in the attack where Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha all signed.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Cunha-Sesko-Mbeumo\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

That said, two transfer windows on, are United actually any better for that? They certainly are on the flanks, but the Red Devils are still lacking an elite striker, someone who Fernandes can really thrive off playing with.<\/p>\n

How about Harry Kane<\/a>? Now, the idea of this is far-fetched, but with his contract expiring in 2027, the door is ajar for suitors to begin considering a move.<\/p>\n

That’s precisely what Ratcliffe is doing. TEAMtalk report that the co-owner is ‘personally’ keen on a move for Kane and would absolutely love to make a deal happen.<\/p>\n

That said, the striker wants to extend with Bayern Munich and is widely expected to do so.<\/p>\n

For now, a return to English shores may have to wait, but wouldn’t this be an exceptional signing? Since Fernandes signed all the way back in 2020, there hasn’t been much to shout about from a transfer point of view. United have wasted huge sums of money on the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.<\/p>\n

While players like Lisandro Martinez, Senne Lammens and Mbeumo have also arrived, none have lit up Old Trafford in the same way as the club captain.<\/p>\n

Kane, however, would turn the tide on that. Hailed as “the best player in the world” by journalist Daniel Storey<\/a>, the England international is among the favourites for the Ballon d’Or<\/a> after a jaw-dropping season in which he scored 61 goals last season.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Harry\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Right now, there isn’t a better goalscorer in world football; that’s how good the 33-year-old is.<\/p>\n

Not since the days of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney have United had a player as cool, composed and as ruthless in front of goal as Kane. It’s just a pity he looks likely to remain in Germany.<\/p>\n

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\"harry-kane-england\"\n <\/picture>REUTERS\/Paul Childs<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

For Fernandes, he could be game-changing. Last season he registered 22 assists in all competitions. Just imagine how many he would have had with Kane playing ahead of Sesko and Mbeumo at the top of the pitch.<\/p>\n

The glory days feel like they are light years away for United right now but make this signing and they could be back sooner than we anticipated. For Carrick, this could well save his job.<\/p>\n