Man Utd face a Mohamed Salah warning over Bruno Fernandes

Analysis

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Manchester United’s contract talks with Bruno Fernandes are ongoing, but the Old Trafford club need only look at Liverpool’s recent experience with Mohamed Salah as a warning that age catches up with even the greatest players.

Bruno’s contract status has quietly been a topic of conversation at Man Utd for several months. The 32-year-old’s deal is up at the end of the season, although United hold an option to extend this by an additional year.

Bruno Fernandes is still indispensable to Man Utd

There is little doubt that even late in his career, Fernandes remains the club’s most important player. His record 21 assists were critical in propelling them back to the Champions League this season, and in five Premier League appearances this term he has three goals and another decisive pass.

But there’s uncertainty over what comes next, and while handing Bruno a new deal would appear to be a no-brainer for the Red Devils, Salah’s performance in his final year at Anfield should provide a warning that even a club legend should not be kept at all costs.

Salah offers Man Utd a serious warning

The Egypt international, after all, won a new contract at Liverpool after producing arguably the greatest individual campaign the Premier League has ever seen in 2024/25, scoring 29 goals and producing a further 18 assists. His deal was due to expire that summer, and Liverpool chose to extend his agreement by two years. He would last only one before being released by mutual consent.

His drop off, which arrived when he was 33, was enormous. He finished the next campaign with just seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League, falling out of favour with manager Arne Slot and attacking the club in the media. While these outbursts will be largely forgotten compared to his legacy at the club, the team as a whole suffered in that final campaign.

United should not allow themselves to be similarly tied to Bruno. There may be no visible sign of him slowing down yet, but equally there was little hint of Salah’s spectacular drop off either.

And while there is an argument that the Portuguese does not rely on his physical attributes in the way the former Liverpool winger required power and speed on the flank, that is no reason to wander blindly into a potentially lucrative extension.

Bruno, after all, is Manchester United’s top earner, and his wage will set the expectation for any player arriving at the club – and indeed for those already within Old Trafford when contract negotiation time rolls around.

Bruno Fernandes is showing signs of decline

Interestingly, data experts SciSports indicate there has been a drop off in Bruno’s performances over the course of the last six months, describing this as a ‘minor decline’.

Fernandes’ SciSkill, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game data points, has dropped to 106.7 – below the level at which he has operated for much of his Man Utd career.

This lies in contrast to his output, which remains as high as ever, but it’s worth United considering this as a factor when they make their next steps.

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