“Unlikely to happen”: Ten Hag to persist with big star vs Spurs despite recent horror performances – report

Manchester United’s struggles with finding the back of the net has meant they lie outside the top-10 in the English Premier League and have now failed to open their Europa League campaign on the front foot.

They were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home by FC Twente and the Red Devils have only won three out of eight games in all competitions this season.

New recruit Joshua Zirkzee has shown flashes of genius when linking up play but seems to lack the killer instinct inside the box while Rasmus Hojlund’s injury has meant Erik ten Hag has had to rely on the former Bologna ace uptil now.

But the biggest issue plaguing the 20-time English league champions is the form of club captain Bruno Fernandes who is yet to net this campaign.

Bruno’s poor form

The Portuguese is going through a lull for the first time in his United career and despite taking the most shots in the league, he has failed to score.

Apart from his inability to find the back of the net, the Portuguese’s passing has been far from crisp while his decision-making had fans groaning at the Theatre of Dreams on Wednesday.

He chose to strike from 40 yards out in the last minute of added time instead of trying to find a teammate, which infuriated fans while losing possession is becoming something of a regular feature of his play.

The Portugal international is feeling the heat with plenty calling for the talisman to be benched for the crucial league tie against Tottenham Hotspur. But his manager is unlikely to drop him as per Givemesport.

The Dutchman is banking on his skipper’s big-game mentality to shine through with huge games coming up before the international break.

“Bruno Fernandes is starting to attract criticism from supporters who feel he should be dropped from the starting line-up, but sources close to Manchester United are indicating to GIVEMESPORT that it is unlikely to happen.”

Unlikely to be dropped

“Sources believe Ten Hag is close to having a decision to make on leaving him out of the starting XI. Quite when that moment will actually come is unclear, as pressure is rising, but Ten Hag is unlikely to risk upsetting his skipper around big fixtures.”

Plenty will argue that the manager has not hesitated to drop Marcus Rashford, despite the Mancunian’s red-hot form, so why not the 30-year-old.

Fernandes’ drop-off comes at the worst possible time for Ten Hag with pressure mounting on him as rumours continue to swirl over his future.

Links with managers keep on appearing while former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s comments have added further fuel to the fire. He needs a result on Sunday or INEOS might just be forced into a decision going into the international break.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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