{"id":1427611,"date":"2026-01-30T12:54:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T12:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1427611"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:37:01","slug":"tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis: Successor in waiting or stylistic downgrade for Man Utd?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United are approaching a crossroads.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-fernandes-exit-would-be-a-blow\" data-level=\"3\">Fernandes exit would be a blow<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-is-palmer-the-right-man-to-replace-fernandes\" data-level=\"3\">Is Palmer the right man to replace Fernandes?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\" data-level=\"3\">Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-conclusion\" data-level=\"3\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former has a little over a year left to run on his deal with the latter. It\u2019s no secret that Fernandes was linked with an Old Trafford exit last summer. Al-Hilal came knocking for the Portugal international. Despite a lucrative offer on the table, Fernandes rejected the chance to move to the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fernandes-exit-would-be-a-blow\">Fernandes exit would be a blow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Man Utd  would be reluctant to lose Fernandes this summer. The captain is the club\u2019s creator-in-chief. He\u2019s created more chances (64) than any other player in the Premier League this season. The club&#8217;s decision makers are willing to allow Fernandes the chance to make his choice on his future. Deep down they\u2019ll be hoping to elects to remain in Manchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Convincing Fernandes to stick around at Old Trafford, however, will prove easier said than done. Frequent managerial upheaval and off-field uncertainty will lead to another transitional period for Man Utd. At 31 years of age, Fernandes knows time is no longer on his side. He\u2019ll be looking for that next big contract, potentially his last before his career starts to wind down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As such, Man Utd would need a player who can shoulder the creative burden should Fernandes depart this summer. One who\u2019ll be able to pry apart defences with ease. Fortunately for them, there is a Premier League experienced successor who may just fancy a move to Manchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-palmer-the-right-man-to-replace-fernandes\">Is Palmer the right man to replace Fernandes?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cole Palmer left Manchester City in 2023. Chelsea\u2019s decision to spend big raised eyebrows. In hindsight, it was the best \u00a340m they could have spent. In the two-and-a-half years since Palmer swapped Manchester for London, he has scored 41 goals and provided 19 assists in the Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Blues reportedly consider Palmer \u2018untouchable\u2019. That\u2019s hardly a surprise. He is one of their best players, after all. However, rumours in the week suggest the England star is homesick and pining to return to Manchester. Palmer won\u2019t move back to City with Pep Guardiola at the helm, meaning a potential switch to boyhood club Man Utd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The expectation, then, would be that Palmer replaces Fernandes. The former is certainly good enough to succeed the latter in the final third. The goals and assists output since moving to Chelsea suggests as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\">Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, this season especially, Palmer hasn\u2019t been quite the defence-splitting maestro we\u2019ve witnessed in recent years. Indeed, he is averaging just 0.9 chances created per 90, a far cry from Fernandes\u2019 haul of 3.4 per 90 in the Premier League this season. In truth, that can also be put down to Palmer\u2019s injury issues.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"vcsw-sports-widgets shortcode vcsw-cmatrix vcsw-cmatrix--compared\" id=\"cmatrix-1\"><script type=\"application\/json\">{\"sports_type\":\"football\",\"widget_type\":\"comparison-matrix\",\"compare\":\"3kuxjtslXtn90Uq-yLlqC\",\"show_sponsor\":\"false\",\"analytics\":true,\"can_generate_shortcode\":false}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lengthy spell on the sidelines has prevented Palmer from building momentum. When fully fit, he is a chance creating machine. He averaged 2.5 per 90 last season, after all. It\u2019s still short of Fernandes\u2019 haul, but a clear sign that Palmer could, in theory, carry on the creative mantle should the former leave Man Utd this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s more, and even with managerial change of his own, Palmer is still ranking high for shots and goals per 90, and shot accuracy. For all his strengths, Fernandes has never hit the back of the net with great regularity. The Man Utd star\u2019s most prolific season came in 2020-21, when he netted 18 times. Since the start of 2021-22, Fernandes has only reached double figures twice, returning 10 goals that season, and again in 2023-24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Palmer\u2019s signing, then, would bring another route to goal. Despite playing 44.2% of Fernandes\u2019 Premier League minutes, Palmer is still just one goal shy of matching the Man Utd skipper\u2019s league return in 2025-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Off the ball, Fernandes perhaps has the edge, but it\u2019s a close-run affair between the two creative stars. Fernandes is managing 1.9 tackles per 90 to Palmer\u2019s 1.4. The latter is making more interceptions per 90 (1.1) than the former (0.7). It\u2019s much of muchness, especially when the primary aim is to tear defences apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, while Man Utd fans would be sad to see the back of their talisman, their long-term inconsistency means it\u2019s hardly a surprise that Fernandes is weighing up a summer exit. There are replacements available in the market, however. A deal to sign Palmer would be incredibly complicated. Chelsea would move heaven and earth to keep their star attacker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But with the player supposedly pining for a return to Manchester, there is the potential for a deal to be done. And as a Fernandes successor, Palmer has previously proven he\u2019d be more than capable of filling the Man Utd skipper\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n    <div 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are in League Two&#8217;s top three despite winning three of nine games                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                            <article class=\"sq-card\">\n                                            <div class=\"sq-card__thumbnail\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-alex-scott-england-solution\/\" class=\"sq-thumbnail\">\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/06125129\/AlexScott031026_ID3FNH420-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/>                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                                        <div class=\"sq-card__content\">\n                        <div class=\"sq-card__meta\">\n                            <span class=\"sq-card__label\">Features<\/span>\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-alex-scott-england-solution\/\" class=\"sq-card__title\">\n                                <h2 class=\"sq-card__title-text\">\n                                    Why Alex Scott could be Thomas Tuchel&#8217;s answer to control for England                                <\/h2>\n                            <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United are approaching a crossroads. The former has a little over a year left to run on his deal with the latter. It\u2019s no secret that Fernandes was linked with an Old Trafford exit last summer. Al-Hilal came knocking for the Portugal international. Despite a lucrative offer on the table, Fernandes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1427612,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis exploring chance creation, goals, and why Palmer could be Man Utd\u2019s next creative leader.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1427611","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis: Successor in waiting or stylistic downgrade for Man Utd? | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis exploring chance creation, goals, and why Palmer could be Man Utd\u2019s next creative leader.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis: Successor in waiting or stylistic downgrade for Man Utd?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis exploring chance creation, goals, and why Palmer could be Man Utd\u2019s next creative leader.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-30T14:37:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/30124525\/BrunoCole_30012026-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\"},\"headline\":\"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis: Successor in waiting or stylistic downgrade for Man Utd?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-30T12:54:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-30T14:37:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":826,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/30124525\\\/BrunoCole_30012026-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/tactical-analysis-bruno-fernandes-vs-cole-palmer\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bruno Fernandes vs Cole Palmer analysis: Successor in waiting or stylistic downgrade for Man Utd? 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