“He cannot make 8-9 saves every game” - Bruno Fernandes admits Manchester United stars need to protect David de Gea better

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has revealed David de Gea needs to be protected better as his side are too easy to play against.

The Red Devils meekly surrendered to Manchester City on Sunday as Pep Guardiola’s side hardly broke a sweat during their 2-0 win in the derby.

Manchester United were poor defensively and failed to muster any rhythm going forward as Ederson had a quiet afternoon in goal.

After the game, Fernandes said Manchester United conceded easy goals despite David de Gea’s heroics:

“It’s always a bad time to concede a goal but the problem is the way we concede goals," said Fernandes after the game, in an interview with club media. "It’s too easy."

“As I said, many, many times, if not for David, the result could be much higher and worse for us," he added. “We have to protect David better. Because he is protecting us a lot and we have to help him. He cannot make, every game, eight [or] nine saves and still concede goals.”

Manchester United could be out of the title race already

Manchester United’s porous defense has seen them concede seven goals in their last two Premier League games at home against two of the best teams in the league.

While Manchester City scored only two goals, they were largely comfortable barring a couple of times in the first half when Manchester United threatened through Cristiano Ronaldo.

David de Gea was once again the stand-out performer, which should not be the case in a team full of star names.

Following the defeat against Manchester City, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are now nine points behind league leaders Chelsea.

Time is running out for Solskjaer, whose side have failed to perform to their potential so far this season. Despite spending a lot of money over the summer, Manchester United seem to have moved backwards which has heaped pressure on Solskjaer.

The Red Devils will hope to bounce back against Watford post the international break. If they can string a good run of results over the festive period in December, they might be back in the title reckoning.