Having lost to Wolves and being clearly outplayed by their opponents in the encounter, Ralf Rangnick has suddenly found himself in a compromising position. Consigning Bruno Fernandes to the bench this period has also done him no favours either. However, with the Portuguese dynamo seemingly in a rut these days at Old Trafford, it’s anyone’s guess how things will unfold.
Scott McTominay and Cristiano Ronaldo exhibited some individual touches of brilliance in the absence of the 27-year-old Fernandes for Thursday’s 3-1 win over Burnley, which could of course lead one to conclude that there was logic to Rangnick’s decision to leave the Portugal international on the bench for the match with Wolves on Monday.
However. that decision seemed to have backfired on Rangnick as United were chastened at Old Trafford that night. The Red Devils were not only dire and dreadful but in fact a total shambles throughout, even after their No. 18 joined in the fray , although admittedly with Fernandes on the pitch, United seemed to have more creative options.
Obviously they’re still looking more like a lost cause currently although it had been seriously hoped that things would turn around decisively when Rangnick took charge and turn the crisis at Old Trafford around. Unfortunately that clearly hasn’t been the outcome even after five games under his charge, with dreadful performances following, apart from a good 45 minutes against Crystal Palace in his opening fixture.
United also were not exemplary in their 3-1 victory over Burnley either as they were saved by snippets of brilliance from McTominay and Ronaldo, to rreiterate, which gave them the three points they badly needed.
And now, as if to exacerbate matters, Rangnick seems to have an issue with Fernandes on his hands as the decision of dropping a player who has arguably been the club’s best since the days he joined might not actually be amove that will pay off.
With the Portuguese midfielder yet to commit to a new contract, it’s possible Rangnick’s bold move could even tip the former over the edge as it has been disclosed by The Athletic in October that Fernandes, when news of the European Super League broke in April, actually wanted to quit the Theatre of Dreams.
Had the Glazers and Ed Woodward put their European Super League plan into action then, the 27-year-old would be playing for a different club right now.
And with Fernandes not appearing to be in Rangnick’s plans for the foreseeable future, and his contract yet to be renewed, it’s possible there could be further storms ahead.
Fernandes has already indicated his desire to leave United once.
Unless there’s a positive change, it’s most possible he’ll have the same feelings in the coming weeks and months ahead.