Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes wants to “hear less” about himself after he was singled out for praise during last season’s disastrous campaign.
The midfielder was one of the only players to emerge with any credit after United finished 15th in the Premier League — their worst performance in the top-flight since relegation to the second division in 1974.
Fernandes scored 19 goals in all competition and, despite United’s miserable season, earned a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year award alongside Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, Alexander Isak, Declan Rice and Cole Palmer.
But the Portugal international said he is keen to take a step out of the spotlight and hopes the focus will be on the team instead.
“I hope you’ll hear less about Bruno this year, but a lot more about United,” Fernandes said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.
“That’s my main objective because my name being spoken, let’s say vaguely alone, It doesn’t fill me with pride or anything.
“United being talked about, being positive, that’s the most important thing and that’s what I want for this season.
“If it happens that Bruno has to score fewer goals, provide less assists or do another type of provision of what is necessary for the games, I would be very happy.”
Despite last season’s difficulties, there’s a feeling of cautious optimism around Old Trafford.
A summer transfer window which has seen the arrival of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko has got many fans feeling positive ahead of the first game of the Premier League season against Arsenal on Sunday.
Fernandes is also excited for the start of the new campaign.
But he accepts that he’s seen plenty of false dawns during his five-and-a-half years at the club and is hopeful this time will be different.
“Every year that I stayed here, every time the season begins, I see this [positivity],” Fernandes said.
“I believe that it could be a time of change, where we can do something better.
“Probably my first two seasons were very good, where we really believed that we could go further and do better things. We had a very good season with Erik [Ten Hag] in his first season, then in the second season it wasn’t so good.
“Obviously, now people have joined the club, not just the players, but also staff and management, who have a different vision.
“I hope that all these changes and everything that we have done can bring the club back to the place where it really deserves to be.”
– Premier League 2025-26 mega-preview
– Man Utd U21 game abandoned over Koné injury
– Rashford: Man Utd stuck in ‘no man’s land’
Much of the excitement around United is down to the arrival of attacking trio Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.
Ruben Amorim will hope the new-look forward line can cure the problems in front of goal after his team netted just 44 times in the Premier League last season — the fifth worst record in the division.
Fernandes, however, insists it’s not just down to the new forwards to spark a turnaround.
“We have more goals in the team because we know that we didn’t score enough goals last year,” Fernandes said.
“But we also have to know that we have to defend better so as not to suffer as many goals as we conceded last year.
“And when I say defend better, it’s not the defenders, but as a team.
“To know how to suffer, to know how to defend, to know the moments that are necessary to have everyone behind the ball, to have everyone to make recoveries, to have everyone react quickly when we lose it.”
