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There was almost a feeling of inevitable when Bruno Fernandes left in celebration for Manchester United at the weekend.
The 26-year-old Boxing Day goal at Leicester marked the 26th goal he has scored in his debut year with United, as he coldly dispatched his usual goal to regain a precious lead.
An unfortunate own goal at the other end ensured United left King Power Stadium with just one point to show for all their hard work, but there is no time to stop with another two games so close on the doorstep.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows that the Midlands’ run of games after Christmas against Leicester, Wolves and Aston Villa could well define his season; How you manage your squad over the next week will be crucial.
Fernandes’ last performance on Boxing Day saw him climb to fourth place in a table of players with the most minutes in world football this calendar year; ahead of him are only Lionel Messi, his compatriot Ruben Dias and the club captain Harry Maguire.
Manchester United were frustrated after a late draw denied them victory at Leicester at the early start of Boxing Day.
United took the lead twice with goals from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, but a late goal from Jamie Vardy meant the game ended 2-2, meaning the Reds missed their chance to overtake the Foxes and take second. place in the Premier League table.
United don’t have to wait too long to get back on the winning track as they host the Wolves on Tuesday night.
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The England center-back leads the way with 4,745 minutes of action so far this season, 401 ahead of Dias, who is in second place, while his defensive partner Victor Lindelof is seventh after playing a staggering number of 4,142 minutes in 2020.
When told about the CIES Football Observatory study, Fernandes joked about his goal of surpassing Maguire as the most active player in world football: It would be foolish for United to make his dream come true.
“When you see the minutes I have had this season, it is to trust me and I have to give something to the club,” Fernandes told the club media.
Last season, United saw their post-blocking form come to a halt when Luke Shaw’s injury weakened the defense and Fernandes became fatigued from his teammates’ over-reliance on his game-winning abilities.
With an even tougher match schedule this season, such exhaustion seems inevitable, particularly as Solskjaer remains so reluctant to rotate his two biggest players.
While there is a clear need to play the strongest XI at every possible opportunity, perhaps Solskjaer should learn a lesson by replacing his overworked players in the final stages of matches that are already won.
With such a stocked team, there will be little sympathy for Solskjaer if his team sees their season cut short by an over-reliance on two key players when there are obvious, albeit less effective, options at their disposal.
Just as Pep Guardiola uses comfortable matches as an opportunity to rest his key players at Man City, there must be more caution at United to ensure they don’t burn out in the same way he cut his campaign down last season.
Fernandes and Maguire have reiterated their desire to bring cutlery to Old Trafford in recent weeks, but to do so they need Solskjaer to provide the perfect platform to make those dreams come true.
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