Can Bruno Fernandes play at his best when playing with Cristiano Ronaldo? It was impossible to answer that question last season.
Manchester United recorded their lowest Premier League points total of all time and securing just 16 wins was not a reflection of the talent in the squad. The players hopelessly underperformed and their performances were a stain on the club's history.
Newcastle did not win a match until December and yet they finished the campaign three wins behind (13) United, which highlights the extent of the decay that infected the dressing room. David de Gea and Ronaldo were the only two players that emerged from the season with credit and it was obvious that most of the players' performances were not a true reflection of their ability.
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Although some players' limitations were exposed, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles coming to mind, it seemed like most of the dressing room just needed the opportunity for a clean slate, with a tactically astute manager to restore their confidence.
Fernandes, for example, won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for two successive campaigns after signing from Sporting Libson in January 2020, but he struggled last season and supporters grew increasingly impatient, despite his previous displays.
The midfielder contributed 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League, which was a significant deterioration from his historic records in final-third scenarios, and there were other aspects of his game, like his wayward passing, petulance and body language, that were particularly disappointing. Fernandes sometimes appeared to be more interested in complaining than playing.
Fernandes was quickly running out of credit in the bank, although that did not make him a bad player. He had consistently underperformed, yes, and he was starting matches by default, but that was not a true reflection of his talent.
While it would be unfair to suggest that Fernandes can't play with Ronaldo judged on that trainwreck season, such comparisons have merit in this campaign, as Erik ten Hag is improving results and he's given the dressing room confidence and belief.
That means it is no longer impossible to answer the question everyone is talking about regarding Fernandes and Ronaldo. Fernandes was even asked whether he can play with Ronaldo by The Athletic as recently as last month and he said: "Most of my assists last season were for him, so I don’t think [it is fair]. I just had a poor season in terms of my own numbers. I don’t think it is about Cristiano. Before he came I was taking the penalties but I had two chances to take them last season and I missed both.
"So I cannot blame Cristiano for taking penalties, especially when he scores them. When I missed against Arsenal in April, it was him who gave me the ball and said, ‘Go yourself and score’. I missed but I felt that he trusted me to be the one to step up in the big moment. So I don’t think it is because of Cristiano. It is because I didn’t do the best in myself in some moments to get goals or assists.
"In the national team, I play with him and when I score, he is on the pitch. To play with Cristiano as a No 10 is actually really good because players respect him so much that it creates more space, as the opponents are afraid of him taking the ball and scoring."
Of course, Fernandes hasn't played with Ronaldo as regularly this season, but he did start the season slowly, with some having even speculated that his presence at the club takes something away from the midfielder, who is no longer the 'star man'.
Fernandes has not excelled with Ronaldo on the pitch again this season and his best performance of the campaign interestingly came against Tottenham when the centre-forward was not playing, as he was sulking on the bench at Old Trafford instead.
Fernandes was back to his best against Tottenham. He was dangerous in the final third, he was breaking the opposition lines with world-class precision and he worked relentlessly in midfield, setting the tone for those around him to press.
He deserved his goal in the second half, which was well-taken from the edge of the box. The statistics also reaffirm that it was his best performance this season, with Fernandes creating more chances, having more touches and having higher passing accuracy.
Fernandes was free to express himself without Ronaldo's restricted movement ahead of him and he was the 'star man' with the captain's armband, if you're inclined to think there's merit in that argument, which might have a degree of truth in it.
Ronaldo is dealing with a reduced role this season and the answer to whether the Portuguese pair can play together will be revealed by whether Fernandes can sustain the calibre of his performance versus Spurs, as it was a reminder of his true ability.
Ten Hag has made it clear Ronaldo is not going to start regularly and that might just see Fernandes return to his very best. Fernandes has claimed he can play with his fellow countryman at Old Trafford but his actions could soon contradict his words.
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