Bruno Fernandes is not the most likeable footballer. He will go to extreme lengths to gain an advantage over his opponents, including greatly over-exaggerating any physical contact, and never hesitates to lambast the referee, or his own team-mates, when things are not going his way.

The Manchester United captain often lets his emotions get the better of him, with his poor body language a reflection of his volatile nature, while he is also guilty of losing the ball cheaply multiple times a game. It all makes for a frustrating viewing experience as a fan.

But there are also very few players in Europe as brilliant and bold as Fernandes. He's a born winner with a warrior mindset, and demands the highest standards from himself and those around him.

Under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag, United have plunged to once unfathomable depths, and can no longer be considered one of the world's top teams. They are destined to finish outside of the Premier League's top four after a truly disastrous season, which not even an FA Cup final upset against rivals Manchester City would be enough to salvage.

None of the blame can be laid at Fernandes' door, though. The Portuguese is the only member of the squad who can honestly say he's run himself into the ground to try and turn the tide, and without his willingness to take risks, United could well have found themselves battling to avoid being drawn into a relegation dogfight.

United should count themselves very lucky that Fernandes has remained loyal after toiling away for so long with barely any reward, and it's high time he is given his flowers for his outstanding contribution the Premier League.

Source of inspiration

The Red Devils have slumped to a host of humiliating results this term, and after the first 50 minutes of their home clash with Sheffield United on Wednesday, it looked like there would be another entry in their hall of shame. Ten Hag's men found themselves 2-1 down against the Premier League's bottom club due to some typically awful defending, and desperately needed some inspiration.

Enter Fernandes, who stepped up to equalise from the penalty spot 10 minutes later, before taking it upon himself to lift United to all three points. The Portugal international's second goal was a breath-taking sight to behold, as he picked the ball up from Kobbie Mainoo and set himself before unleashing a thunderbolt of a shot from close to 30 yards out - with his weaker left-foot - which soared into the back of the net with all the accuracy of a heat-seeking missile.

He then capped off a superb display by providing the assist for Rasmus Hojlund to score his first goal in two months, volleying the ball across goal to leave the Dane with a simple finish after initially making a clever run in behind to meet a searching Diogo Dalot pass.

The final 4-2 victory flattered United, but it was no more than Fernandes deserved for his superhuman second-half efforts.

Captain of a sinking ship

Fernandes is now up to 15 goals across all competitions for United in 2023-24, which makes him their top scorer, with seven of those coming in his last five appearances. The 29-year-old also has 11 assists to his name, six more than any other player at the club.

In fact, there is no other midfielder in the Premier League who can match Fernandes' output in the final third. He is leading the way with 26 goal contributions, ahead of Martin Odegaard (20), Kevin De Bruyne (19) Bernardo Silva (15) and Alexis Mac Allister (13).

Odegaard and De Bruyne are generally considered to be the two best playmakers in English football, and rightly so, with the former serving as Arsenal's genius orchestrator and the latter still giving Manchester City their X-factor in the tightest games, even as he approaches his 33rd birthday.

But Fernandes should be mentioned in the same bracket. He's having an even greater influence in a far worse team, while dealing with an unprecedented amount of scrutiny as the skipper of United's sinking ship.

United don't have top quality players in every position like City and Arsenal. Fernandes is their only world-class performer, and it's frightening to think what he could accomplish in a better side, because he's been dragging the Red Devils along almost single-handedly for some time now.

Keeping Ten Hag in his job

Ten Hag should really be thanking Fernandes for keeping him in the Old Trafford hot seat. As a collective, United have been dire throughout the entire campaign, and constant questions have been asked over the Dutchman's future as a result.

The win over Sheffield United was the Red Devils' first in the Premier League for six weeks, and they probably wouldn't have got over the line had Fernandes not taken the brave decision to play through pain. He picked up a hand injury in United's unconvincing FA Cup semi-final victory against Coventry, and lined up against the Blades in his usual No.10 role with heavy strapping on his wrist.

Injuries have decimated Ten Hag's squad in recent months, and it was refreshing to see Fernandes solider on instead of joining the treatment-room queue. Fernandes embraces responsibility instead of shrinking from it, unlike so many of his colleagues, a fact that does not escape his manager.

"He is in very good form," Ten Hag said after the game. "I think we put him in the right position, he finds the right spots. When he is in that position, he makes the right decisions. He can create a lot, score a goal, assist, key actions. So we are very happy with his performance.

"He shows his leadership. But also with his energy, in his transition both ways, it is very important. He tries to encourage the team. He is doing very well and we are very pleased with his performance and with his attitude."

Fernandes knew he had to go up a gear heading into the business end of the campaign, and he is the main reason United are sitting sixth in the Premier League table right now instead of languishing in the bottom half. He's proving himself as a proper captain too, and Ten Hag owes him a debt of gratitude for helping to paper over the huge cracks in his tactical set-up.

'Clear conscience'

The problem is, Fernandes now has a reputation as a provocateur. Rival fans despise him, and his penchant for courting controversy makes him an easy target. The United star sent social media into a frenzy with his play-acting during a 2-1 home defeat to Fulham in February, which led to a petty squabble between the two clubs, and he's regularly spotted throwing on-field tantrums.

Fernandes has to deal with more scrutiny than anyone else in the United dressing room because of his erratic behaviour, but it doesn't bother him. "I see this on the positive side. If they are criticising me it is because they think I am capable of doing better," he said in an in-depth interview with Portuguese publication A Bola in March.

"It's true that there are times when people criticise the attitude, and that things weren't rushed and that things weren't done, but when those things happen I'm completely calm. I simply do what I like. I have a clear conscience that every day I train my hardest, play my hardest. You can obviously point out to me that I played well or poorly, showed a lot or little quality, that I missed passes, missed shots, but when it comes to everything else I always have a clear conscience."

It's very difficult to argue with Fernandes' rationale. United certainly wouldn't want him any other way, because playing on the edge is what makes him such a special player.

He will continue using the darks arts when he sees an opportunity for the Red Devils to benefit, and won't stop wearing his heart on his sleeve. None of it counts against Fernandes as a captain, quite the contrary actually, because he's willing to do whatever it takes to win, and will always be honest if he feels anyone is not pulling their weight.

Face of new era

After completing his £47 million ($58m) move to United from Sporting CP in January 2020, Fernandes said: "I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies."

He has since kept that vow across his 229 appearances in the iconic red jersey, racking up 143 goal involvements along the way, but he hasn't been able to lead United to much in the way of tangible rewards.

Fernandes knows a solitary Carabao Cup winners' medal is not good enough. Despite his dazzling individual exploits, the Red Devils are further away than ever from competing for the biggest honours, which begs the question: why on earth would he stick around?

"What I have always asked and want from the club is for us to be competitive," Fernandes added to A Bola. "The season has been below our expectations, below what my expectations are, at least. I've already had a meeting with the new owners. They want to meet with the players and have already done so individually, and that was exactly the message I sent."

United's new minority shareholders have clearly assured Fernandes they are on the same page. INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly suggested the Red Devils can "knock City off their perch" within the next three years; unrealistic perhaps, but setting such an ambitious goal shows that they mean business.

It has been reported that up to 11 first-team stars could be sold this summer as part of Ratcliffe's revolution, while Ten Hag may also be shown the door if he doesn't deliver the FA Cup and a spot in the Europa League. But crucially, Fernandes is going nowhere. He has to be the face of United's new era, the man the new squad is built around, and to that end, they'd be wise to trigger the one-year extension option in his contract as soon as possible, tying him down until at least 2027.

What's next?

At this point, it's obvious that Fernandes is United's best signing of the last decade. Almost all of the marquee names to arrive at Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013 have failed to justify their price tags, from Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba to Jadon Sancho and Antony.

Talent alone is not enough to succeed in the red half of Manchester. There is also specific set of values that must be upheld, and Fernandes has always understood that.

He hasn't always covered himself in glory, and like any player he's had plenty of off-days, but the lack of appreciation for the impact he's made on English football really boils down to him being 'guilty by association'. United are a spent force, and their downfall has been a source of great amusement for rival supporters.

It's trendy to rub salt in their wounds after every bad result and rip their worst performers to shreds. If Fernandes played in Mikel Arteta's swashbuckling Arsenal team or Pep Guardiola's winning machine at City, he would be revered in the same way as Odegaard and De Bruyne. The work he's done at Old Trafford has been equally impressive, but it goes by underappreciated because of the chaos that continues to surround United, on and off the pitch. With any luck, that will all start to change this summer.

There is genuine reason for optimism again now that Ratcliffe is pulling the strings in the boardroom, and Fernandes has bought into it. By this time next year, maybe he will finally be getting the credit he deserves.