It wasn't a fifth defeat of the season, but Manchester United still would have been disappointed following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Leeds United, especially after Bryan Mbeumo gave them the lead at Elland Road.

Leeds isn't the easiest place to go, as Newcastle United found out earlier in the season when they were beaten 4-1 by Daniel Farke's men in Yorkshire.

Still, if Man United have serious ambitions of finishing in the top four, or potentially higher than they did last season, they will see Leeds as somewhere they should potentially be getting three points from.

Of course, we know that the Red Devils are playing nowhere near the levels they were at during Michael Carrick's spell in interim charge, and the 45-year-old doesn't appear to know his best starting XI yet, especially in midfield.

In the second half of the 2025-26 campaign, Carrick selected Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro at the base of his midfield with Bruno Fernandes ahead of them, and it worked perfectly as they soared to a third-place finish in the Premier League.

It has been a different story this term though, as he looks to integrate three new central midfielders into the team, all while dealing with injury issues for Mainoo, who has missed their last two games.

Carrick has decided to play all three of his new midfielders against Atletico Madrid and Leeds, which has forced Fernandes either out wide or even further forward centrally.

The Portugal international looks out of place in both of those positions, and his blank at Elland Road now means he has gone six United appearances without a goal or assist, with his last goal contribution coming against Sabah on September 10.

Fernandes looks out of sorts and fed up, and United need him firing on all cylinders again and to show why he was voted as the PFA Player of the Year last season.

Beginning of the End for Fernandes?

Fernandes has long been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, and he claimed last year that United chiefs wanted to sell him in the summer of 2025.

Of course, the 32-year-old bounced back from that disappointment to have his best season statistically in a United shirt.

He looks awful and is a shadow of that player right now, and it is looking increasingly like a parting of the ways for both parties in 2027 might now be the best thing to happen.

Fernandes' contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season, although United do have the option to extend it by a further year.

Unless they want to recoup a fee for the Portuguese star, it's difficult to see why they would want to do that right now, given his current form.

In eight out of 10 matches for United this season, Fernandes has failed to contribute a goal or an assist, which is a far cry from the numbers he put up last term.

As things stand, Fernandes appears to be going in the same direction as Marcus Rashford, who enjoyed some of his best seasons at Old Trafford before falling out of favour, getting criticised for his body language, and having loan spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona.

Rashford did unexpectedly make his return to United this summer and after a positive start, he has played just one minute of their last two Premier League matches, and it would be no surprise to see him leave again in 2027.

Fernandes is older than the England international was though and, like Rashford did, he looks unhappy in a United shirt.

Unless his fortunes turn around significantly, it's hard to see him lining up in a United shirt in the 2027-28 season.