Bruno Fernandes sent a message to Erik ten Hag with Manchester United performance vs Wolves

Bruno Fernandes carried the air of an exhausted man as he dragged himself over to take Manchester United's 10th corner against Wolves, with five minutes left of a game that had desperately needed him.

The attacking midfielder had been at the heart of everything good United produced at Old Trafford. When Wolves gave the ball again after that corner, Fernandes was back in possession 30 yards out, head up and looking for a decisive pass. It summed his contribution up.

The 28-year-old has now played more than 4,800 minutes for United this season, the equivalent of 53 full 90-minute matches. It's a staggering workload but it shows how valuable he remains to this team.

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The value only increased with the absence of Marcus Rashford and his 29 goals. Fernandes had to pull the strings now and the man who so often wears the armband did just that.

Last week he started games in his attacking midfield role, on the right wing and the left wing. He was shunted about as Erik ten Hag searched for an attacking combination that could reignite the spark.

But back in the centre of the pitch, this was a reminder that you want Fernandes at the heart of things. He was vital to both goals and deserved the acclaim he received from Old Trafford. He was last off the pitch and departed to cries of 'Bruno, Bruno' from the Stretford End.

As the clock ticked towards the half-hour mark it had actually felt like what fizz there was inside Old Trafford had gone flat. A fixture with a history of falling to produce drama was serving up another difficult watch.

There had been 10 goals in the last nine matches between these two sides. United came into it without their 29-goal top scorer