After making an instant impact following his arrival at Manchester United in January 2020, Bruno Fernandes' influence at Old Trafford has noticeably waned over the course of the past 12 months.
The Portuguese playmaker excelled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but struggled to maintain his impressive form towards the end of the Norwegian's reign. And after a disappointing spell under ex-interim boss Ralf Rangnick, Fernandes' stock had significantly fallen well before Erik ten Hag took charge at the club in the summer.
Unfortunately, the opportunity for a fresh start under the Dutchman failed to spark an instant improvement in Fernandes' fortunes and he came in for some heavy criticism in the wake of Manchester United's calamitous start to the season.
Following consecutive defeats at the hands of Brentford and Brighton, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor stuck the boot in on Fernandes and even claimed that the 28-year-old came across as the "worst teammate" due to his negative body language.
Agbonlahor talkSPORT back in August: "For me, Fernandes, since he's been in the Premier League, yes he's had great stats, goalscoring and assists but he looks like the worst teammate. Every time a player gives it away, every time he gives it away, he throws his arms up at his teammates, he throws his arms up at the bench.
"I've played with players like him, you'd be fuming at him. He'll press now and then. If that was Paul Pogba they would be slaughtering Pogba in the media. Fernandes gets away with murder. Did you see Fernandes do anything? It's easy to say [Harry] Maguire, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Marcus] Rashford, [Jadon] Sancho.
"Fernandes, for me, I can't remember the last time he had a decent game. He's always the one that's throwing his arms up in the air. Even when he gives it away. He could pass it to you but pass it out of play and he'd blame you. That's the sort of player Fernandes is. The worst possible teammate."
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But since Agbonlahor's brutal rant, Fernandes has stepped up on the pitch for Manchester United and is starting to show glimpses of the talent that saw him quickly establish himself as one of the club's most pivotal players.
In the absence of Maguire, Fernandes has even donned the captain's armband in recent weeks. And with his compatriot Ronaldo currently adapting to a new, diminished role, Fernandes has embraced the responsibility of being United's main man again - sparking questions over whether or not Ronaldo really does bring Fernandes' game down when the dup play together.
The Portuguese playmaker led by example in the 2-0 win over Tottenham last week and even rediscovered his scoring touch to down Antonio Conte's men. His overall influence throughout the match also shouldn't be underestimated. United's performance against Spurs was by far their most efficient and enthralling since Ten Hag took charge; Fernandes was central to that.
Although he is still not quite plundering goals on a regular basis, Fernandes is beginning to influence games in a positive manner once again - and that can only be a good thing for Manchester United.
