Manchester United are reportedly concerned about Bruno Fernandes' 'mental and physical wear' following his breathtaking start at Old Trafford.
Portuguese midfielder Fernandes, who is set to play for the national team against Spain in a friendly on Wednesday evening, has hit the ground running in Manchester since signing from Sporting Lisbon in January.
But according to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, United are concerned about the 26-year-old's 'mental and physical freshness' after an intense period of matches over the past few months, the last of which sae Fernandes substituted at half-time in the 6-1 defeat against Tottenham on Sunday.
The report claims that concerns about Fernandes' workload was one of the factors in United bringing in four new players on transfer deadline-day.
Those deals included Porto defender Alex Telles and former PSG striker Edinson Cavani, to add firepower to the first-team squad.
In addition, despite stating that contact has not been made with Mauricio Pochettino, the report adds that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's position is 'fragile' following Sunday's loss and a run of poor results could change the club's plans.
United have taken just three points from their opening three Premier League games, after losing their season-opener at home to Crystal Palace.
However, Solskjaer's side did qualify for the Champions League group-stages at the end of last season and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in August.
Fernandes was named Premier League Player of the Month in February & June and his goals & assists were crucial in the Red Devils obtaining a top-four spot.
After Sunday's defeat, Fernandes apologised to fans, saying on Instagram: Represent this big football club as we did today is not enough.
‘We apologise to all the fans for this big loss at our home. Time to bow our head, reflect and do much more for us, the club and fans.’