At one early stage, you looked up and there was Bruno Fernandes, stood at left-back, arms outstretched, asking David De Gea for the ball. You squinted a bit, just to be sure, but, yes, it really was Fernandes. He really was playing that deep again.
And there he was once more, the most withdrawn of Manchester United’s midfielders, when he split the Sevilla defence, taking out four defenders with one pass, to set up Marcel Sabitzer for the opening goal. Oh look, he’s done it again to play in Anthony Martial but no goal this time.
All this despite Casemiro being back alongside him. When Erik ten Hag deployed Fernandes as his deep-lying string-puller-in-chief at Everton, he dominated the game then too, but the feeling was that Fernandes was there through necessity, that without Casemiro or Christian Eriksen, Ten Hag needed someone able to dictate tempo in the way that Fred or Scott McTominay cannot.
‘When you miss players you have to find solutions,’ said Ten Hag after Everton. ‘When Casemiro and Eriksen were available there was no need to bring them down but when you miss them you have to find a solution to bring the game from the back, to get the build-up, to progress the ball to attack. We found the idea to bring Bruno down deeper and he's doing brilliant.’
Against Everton, Fernandes touched the ball more times than in all-but one of the Premier League games he has played for United and created more chances than all-but six. So, despite Casemiro’s return – having missed the last four Premier League games through suspension – Fernandes was the man to drop in and manipulate the game at Old Trafford on Thursday night.
As United threw away a two-goal lead in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla, no player had as many touches as Fernandes while he was on the pitch.
He gave them control. When he was gone, they lost it. United led by two when he left the field after the hour and squandered their lead by the time the final whistle blew.
The question now for Ten Hag is what he does in the games ahead. United have some big ones on the horizon. Nottingham Forest on Sunday in their quest for the top four, before the second leg of this tie in Sevilla and a FA Cup semi-final against Brighton.
Fernandes will miss the second leg through suspension after he was booked for handball when he threw himself in the way of a rasping shot from the edge of the box and the ball struck him on the elbow.
Eriksen replaced Fernandes when he returned from his injury lay-off to come off the bench and slotted into the same role.
Had he replaced another United midfielder, Fernandes would likely have pushed higher up. Now both Casemiro and Eriksen are back, what will Ten Hag do?
Fernandes has made this new position his own. Ahead of him, Sabitzer scored twice to provide more than enough goal threat.
And United will need control now more than ever, especially as concerning injuries to Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez sustained on Thursday night mean Ten Hag is likely stuck with his recurring centre-back nightmare of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire for the huge matches ahead.
Hidclmpu
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Bruno remains the most loyal and committed Man-United player, even through the series of unstable and low club era. he was and still very passionate about the club. This, sometimes makes him throw hands in the air in frustration and all. but is commitment and great quest for the team and club to always win is never in doubt.