Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has questioned Bruno Fernandes’ current role in the Manchester United team and believes the playmaker is becoming ‘a problem’ after the Red Devils lost more points in the top-four race.
United failed to take all three points despite leading at half-time again, with Southampton’s Che Adams scoring a more than deserved equaliser for the south coast club in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Scholes had plenty to say about the performance after the match. And he is concerned how Fernandes fits into the current structure of the team.
Speaking on BT Sport after the draw, Scholes said: “I think Fernandes could be a little bit of a problem you know.
“As much as he’s such a talented lad – when he first came to the club he scored so many great goals, so many assists – but he’s all over the football pitch.
“A coach would tell you better that from a defensive point of view, how can you set up in a shape when you have no idea where the start of it – the start of it is Cristiano Ronaldo, and then it’s Fernandes – how can you set traps for teams when you don’t know where some of your players are going to be.
Fernandes trying to be everywhere
“Paul Pogba tends to wander about. You see Fernandes, sometimes he’s left-back, he’s right-back, at the end of the game he was playing behind Dalot for five minutes!”
The former England midfielder added: “United were all over the place. At one time Scott McTominay is left all alone in midfield, then it’s Pogba on his own. Where Bruno Fernandes is playing I don’t know. He’s absolutely all over the pitch.
“The two wide players don’t work anywhere near hard enough. This game isn’t always about possession and doing the great stuff. Sometimes you’ve got to do the ugly stuff and gives you a bit of pain and you don’t like doing it. This team jog back and it’s so easy to play against.”
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United defender has been worked out
Meanwhile, Michael Owen is concerned that opposition attackers have worked out Harry Maguire and the Manchester United defender is becoming a liability.
Maguire, 28, has made 132 appearances for the Red Devils after joining from Leicester City in the summer of 2019. He has also played 41 times for England and was a star of Gareth Southgate’s side at the 2018 World Cup. But the Sheffield-born ace has struggled at times this season and been targeted by a few pundits.
Former United stopper Rio Ferdinand aimed a barb at the former Hull City centre-back during the week.
“This season, you’ve seen that [too many below-par performances],” he told BT Sport (via the Mirror). “I’m not sure if that’s a hangover from the Euros physically and mentally, I’m not sure. There hasn’t been the consistency of a player you’d expect of that stature.
Owen has now echoed those thoughts. He was found wanting on many occasions during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.
And Maguire could easily have conceded a penalty when he appeared to bring down Broja before treading in his leg. The referee took another view but Owen feels it is symptomatic of the way Maguire is playing.
“I did fear for him and that was quite embarrassing,” he told Premier League Productions, via Metro. “He’s got no pace at the best of times but he was outwitted there. Then you’re thinking don’t try to redeem your mistake. He just got away with it and I don’t think it was a penalty.
“But you are fearful when he’s running towards him – you think are you going to try to do something stupid but he just gets away with it.”
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