Joshua Zirkzee has raised an awkward question about Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United

For an hour, it was one of Manchester United’s most impressive performances under Erik ten Hag. By full-time, it was another match in which they failed to score and were fortunate not to be behind.

United will still take more positives than negatives from their weekend draw with Crystal Palace, though it was alarming how quickly they lost momentum when they changed approach on the hour mark.

The post-match media circus focused on the decision to rest Marcus Rashford at Selhurst Park, but the real game-changing call was that he came on for Joshua Zirkzee, who had been at the heart of their engaging attacking play.

You only have to look at the passing charts from before and after his substitution to see what went wrong for United on Saturday night, as they struggled to adjust to a more traditional 4-3-3 approach without him, struggles which were amplified by the poor performance from Bruno Fernandes.

United completed 91 passes in the final third when Zirkzee was on the pitch, they only managed a further 17 in the half hour after he was taken off. The Dutchman finished with 23 touches of the ball and two chances created, one of which was classified as a 'big chance' by official match stats.

With him off the pitch, the responsibility to link-up play fell to Fernandes, who lost possession a staggering 34 times against Palace, to continue what has been a rather underwhelming start to the new season. There is still plenty of improvement from Zirkzee, but they can take early encouragement from how he functions as a playmaker in Ten Hag's system.

The 23-year-old was signed in the summer to add some extra firepower in the forward line, yet it has been as a link-up man that he has shone so far, bringing others into the game to compensate for his lack of threat in the final third.

There is a glaring contrast between his approach and that of Fernandes', with Zirkzee very happy to accept his role as a facilitator for other attacking talent, while the club captain has a greater tendency to try and do things alone.

It is by no means an attack on Fernandes, who has often been United's saviour, but it once again raises the question about his long-term suitability to Ten Hag's desired style of play. With a focus on keeping the ball and methodically cutting apart opponents, the Portuguese playmaker often takes more risks than required and can be a glaring contrast to the tactical change his manager is trying to implement.

Fernandes thrives in the counter-attacking chaos that United have so often created due to a lack of control, with the midfield magnifico capable of punishing opponents who offer him too much space in the centre of the pitch. As his side has become better on the ball, such opportunities have been at a premium, limiting his influence on the game, and causing him to take needless risks to make an impact.

With the return of Rasmus Hojlund, they finally have the firepower they have been missing in the forward line, and now they need to ensure he gets the service he so often lacked during his debut campaign. Based on recent evidence, there is a strong argument to suggest Zirkzee and Hojlund would operate more effectively as an attacking partnership than Fernandes and Hojlund, it would be a huge call to repurpose the club captain, or even drop him entirely.

Yet with so much pressure on Ten Hag to deliver this season, it might be a huge call he soon has to make.