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Former Arsenal star Samir Nasri has lambasted Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes for his performance against the Gunners on Saturday (23 April) in the Premier League. The Frenchman has said that he's not a fan of the Portugal international despite his impressive goalscoring and assist record for the Red Devils.
Fernandes enjoyed a sparkling start to life at Old Trafford, winning the 'Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year' award in his first half-season (2019-20) and the next full season (2020-21) at the club. However, he has endured a disappointing 2021-22 campaign.
He has bagged 49 goals and given 39 assists in over 120 games since arriving in January 2020, but only nine of those strikes have come this season in 42 games. He has also been criticized for his lack of impact against top-quality opposition.
The Portuguese fared poorly in the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, missing a penalty with his team down 2-1. Nasri believes Fernandes' stats are misleading, and he's far from a complete player. As per Goal, Nasri said the following:
"Bruno, I'm not a fan of him, he has good stats but if you watch his games from start to finish, he misses a lot of things in the game."
Fernandes has had 23 goal contributions this season (nine goals, 14 assists). The midfielder recently signed a contract extension that would keep him at the club until 2026.
Notably, this is the second time he has missed a penalty in the league this season when Cristiano Ronaldo was a part of the playing XI. He did so against Aston Villa in stoppage time in September last year, costing United a valuable point.
Manchester United need to reinforce their midfield
Bruno Fernandes has been the focal point of Manchester United's attack since he arrived two years ago from Sporting Lisbon. His new long-term contract suggests he's a key player for the club. So United need to reinforce their midfield to bring out the best in Fernandes.
Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are set to depart as free agents this summer. Scott McTominay and Fred have shown improved performances under interim manager Ralf Rangnick but have struggled for consistency.
The Red Devils need a top-quality box-to-box midfielder. They also need a ball-playing defensive midfielder to shield the back four and enable Fernandes to play further up the pitch.
