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Manchester United started their Europa League campaign in disappointing fashion as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by FC Twente on Wednesday.
Erik ten Hag spoke of his love for the Dutch outfit before the game and it seemed like his players reciprocated that emotion, not putting them to the sword after scoring the opener.
After Christian Eriksen’s goal, the players seemed content to just keep the ball and pass it around slowly and that ultimately came back to bite them as the visitors equalised in the second half.
Ten Hag’s substitutions took away all the momentum from United’s attack and they hardly created anything of note after that with the Red Devils winning only three games out of eight so far this campaign.
Bruno struggles continue
One of the biggest reasons behind the lack of attacking impetus has been Bruno Fernandes’ slow start to the campaign. Usually capable of the spectacular, the Portuguese is yet to get on the scoresheet this term.
On Wednesday, the club captain missed one glorious chance while ending the game with a 75 percent passing accuracy. While a creative player like Fernandes can misplass a few passes, he is just not hitting his groove thus far.
He took three shots, with only one on target and his decision to shoot from long range when the clock was ticking down was not appreciated by the United faithful.
He only had a 40 percent dribbling success rate while winning only seven duels out of 13, losing the ball 19 times (all stats via sofascore).
Should have been subbed off
The Portuguese did work hard, making one key pass, while successfully finding a teammate with two out of three crosses while three out of his four attempted long balls found their mark.
He lent a hand while defending as well, winning two free-kicks, while making two clearances and an interception. But a lot more is expected from the club talisman.
The Portugal international deserved to be subbed off but surprisingly, he was kept on and shunted out to the right, a move that naturally did not pay any dividends.
It could be time for the manager to play Eriksen or Mason Mount in the attacking midfield role for the next game as it looks like Fernandes might need a shock to the system to get his act together.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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