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Manchester United Are Now 'Bruno FC' And 'Wouldn’t Make Top Six Without Bruno Fernandes'

Manchester United Are Now 'Bruno FC' And 'Wouldn’t Make Top Six Without Bruno Fernandes'

Jason Cundy claims Man United 'play badly' when Bruno Fernandes isn't at his best, saying they looked "bang average" against Crystal Palace.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Manchester United have been branded as a one-man team as they wouldn't even make the Premier League's top six without Bruno Fernandes.

That's according to former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy, who branded United as "Bruno FC" in a heated clash with fellow talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein.

The 51-year-old told talkSPORT: "You are Bruno FC! Without Bruno, you wouldn't be in the top six. No Bruno, no party, and tonight shows it.

"You are SO RELIANT on Bruno and when he plays badly the whole team does.

"Did Bruno play well tonight? No, so Man United didn't play well.

"Look at the stats: when Bruno doesn't score, when Bruno doesn't assist, Man United are bang average!

"Someone else has got to put a shift in. You look at Bruno's body language... they are so over-reliant on him."

United slipped to their third consecutive draw on Wednesday in an uneventful clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Fernandes, 26, has been widely praised for his impact in the Premier League since his £47m acquisition from Sporting CP last January.

The Portuguese midfielder has scored an incredible 22 times and assisted 13 times in 40 appearances across all competitions this season.

However, Fernandes failed to exact the influence that United have relied on during the 0-0 draws with Palace and Chelsea.

The United star was heavily criticised for his performance against the Blues and accused of 'disappearing' in a big match against one of the Premier League's top-six sides.

Fernandes was also blasted for his performance against the Eagles as United have fallen 14 points behind league leaders Manchester City ahead of Sunday's derby.

Cundy launched a scathing attack on United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, saying the Norwegian club legend should be axed from Old Trafford.

And the former Tottenham and Chelsea man believes that RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann should replace Solskjaer at United.

"There's a lack of urgency and intensity at Man United," Cundy explained.

"They were poor all over the pitch. Defensively they kept a clean sheet and [Dean] Henderson pulled off a good save. But there was no tempo, and that continued for 90 minutes.

"It's the manager's job at half-time, and this is where they seriously earn their money, to change the course of the game. You can have a bad 45 minutes, but let's not have another one... but they didn't improve.

PA

PA

"You're Man United! I don't think you should be waiting for someone else to appear.

"Let's say Nagelsmann, go and get him! If that's what it takes and Man United are going to be one of the biggest clubs in this country and going to get above City and Liverpool and want to get back to challenging in the Champions League -- just go and get him!

"It doesn't bother me one way or the other, but if I was a Man United fan right now, the end of the season is coming and you're thinking, 'Do we give Ole another three years or do we go and get Nagelsmann?'

"For me, you shouldn't need even three seconds to think about that."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Football, Manchester United, Premier League, England