BRUNO FERNANDES struggled yet again for Manchester United on Wednesday as he gave the ball away a staggering 34 TIMES against Istanbul Basaksehir.
The 26-year-old played the whole game in Turkey as his side lost 2-1, while team-mate Donny van de Beek was hauled off after 61 minutes despite impressing.
Fernandes how now flattered to deceive against Chelsea, Arsenal and Istanbul, with the player arguably going through his worst spell at United.
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So it came as a surprise to many Red Devils fans that it was Van de Beek who went off despite being more influential in Turkey.
The Dutch midfielder – who is yet to start in the Premier League – had an impressive pass accuracy of 93 per cent.
His team-mate Fernandes completed just 73.8 per cent of his passes, and he also had a lower pass completion in the final third of the pitch.
Just 63.5 per cent of his passes were successful, with Van de Beek’s rate considerable higher at 84.2 per cent.
Fernandes also lost possession a whopping 34 times – more than four times the amount that Van de Beek gave the ball away.
The ex-Ajax midfielder lost possession just eight times, while he created one chance during the disappointing defeat.
That is one more than what Fernandes achieved, as he failed to create anything despite being on the pitch for half an hour longer.
In addition to that, the former Sporting Lisbon maestro registered just one shot on target out of four attempts – a free-kick that was easily parries away.
None of his six crosses found a team-mate, while just seven out of his 14 long passes were successful.
Pressure is mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he knows he must beat Everton on Saturday to ease speculation over his future.
When asked about his position after United’s defeat to Istanbul, he said: “I decline to comment.
“It is early and opinions are out there all the time. I have got to stay strong.
“I am employed by the club to do a job and will do it to the best of my ability.”
Man Utd boss Solskjaer refuses to comment on future after ‘unforgivable’ defending in Istanbul humbling
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
