Rooney warns Bruno Fernandes is close to 'explosion' amid Man United's poor run

Wayne Rooney has issued a stark warning over Bruno Fernandes’s state of mind, saying the Manchester United captain looks on the verge of an ‘explosion’ after being left to drag the club through yet another poor run of form.

Fernandes has been United’s most consistent performer this season, but Rooney believes the weight of expectation placed on the Portuguese midfielder is becoming unsustainable. United have managed only two wins in their last eight matches across all competitions — against Ipswich in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League — and have thrown away leads against Brighton and Tottenham while scraping a draw at Fulham.

“I genuinely do think he looks like, ‘oh, here we go again’,” Rooney said on The Overlap’s Stick to United podcast. “Same thing. There’s only so many times he can do it. He is getting personal recognition, his goals, assists, and he’s carried the team — but you need taking out of that position.”

Rooney argued that Fernandes needs to be relieved of his central role, either by being moved deeper or temporarily dropped, to allow him to reset. “You can see it building up,” he added. “There’s going to be an explosion with him if it keeps building. He’s not scared to come out and voice his opinion, so there will be that explosion if it carries on.”

The former United striker also pointed to structural problems in midfield, suggesting head coach Michael Carrick needs to add a third central midfielder to provide cover and reduce the burden on Fernandes. Rooney named Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo as players who lack the mobility to cover the full width of the pitch as a pair, and floated Carlos Baleba as a potential option to add security in front of the back four.

“What you need to do is get results and wins any way that you can,” Rooney said. “You need to be solid, then go and win the game.”

Former United defender Phil Bardsley, also appearing on the podcast, echoed those concerns. He described Fernandes as looking “fed up” and “tired” after carrying the club for several years, and argued that other players must now step up. “He’s probably got to a point now where if he’s having an off day, somebody else needs to step up,” Bardsley said.