Erik ten Hag has an enormous task on his hands to get Bruno Fernandes playing at an acceptable level for Manchester United, according to Tim Sherwood.
Fernandes, 27, has not lived up to his own lofty standards this season despite taking his tally to 10 Premier League goals in Monday night's 3-0 victory over Brentford. The Portuguese playmaker continues to be face criticism for allegedly 'going missing' in United's biggest fixtures and his work out of possession has also been scrutinised.
It marks a concerning decline for a player who hit the ground running in England following his £47million arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020. Former Blackburn Rovers captain Sherwood is the latest pundit to take aim at Fernandes, declaring "he ain't that good" and blasting his attitude while representing his club.
"I was disappointed in his season," Sherwood told SuperSport , per Metro, of Fernandes. "I thought he was brilliant when he first come to Man United, he was a breath of fresh air, he hit the floor running. Assists, goals, [it] looked like he was working hard for the team.
"All of a sudden, it looked to me like he thinks he's doing Manchester United a favour by playing for them. He ain't that good. There are so many better players who have worn that shirt before him, he's not doing them (United) a favour by playing for them.
"Hopefully Ten Hag comes in there and explains to him what he needs to do when he's not in possession of the ball, when the sun's not shining and everything's pretty and you just get on with the football that you want to do. Sometimes you have to do what the team needs and I don't think he steps up to the mark in that regard."
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Despite his serious concerns over Fernandes' attitude, Sherwood believes Ten Hag will be able to remedy the situation if his management skills are up to the task. The Englishman added: "I think Ten Hag, if he's organised enough, could tell him (Fernandes) he's a massive asset to the football club but he has to toe the line and remember it's about the team and not about Bruno."
Although Fernandes has found himself in the spotlight, he has still posted respectable goal involvement numbers over the course of the season. As well as scoring 10 times, he has chipped in with 14 assists across all competitions, meaning he has been United's most creative player. The Red Devils travel to Brighton and Crystal Palace in their final two games of the campaign.
