Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson and Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes are fast approaching two-game bans due to their discipline issues. Bookings are starting to stack up in the Premier League, though the aforementioned duo are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to yellow cards and their tallies could hit 10 soon.
Jackson has endured a slow start to life in the Premier League. Despite scoring seven goals in 18 appearances, the 22-year-old has struggled to convince with his performances and lacked the clinical edge that the Blues have desperately required.
Chelsea are therefore in the market for a new No. 9, just months after securing the services of Jackson. Napoli star Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney are among those linked, and the duo would bring confidence and maturity to Mauricio Pochettino’s frontline.
Aside from his ability with the ball at his feet, Jackson’s ill-discipline is also causing issues for Chelsea. The ex-Villarreal has received eight yellow cards this season, with nearly all of those bookings coming due to dissent.
The striker has not been able to resist the temptation to frustrate his opponents, failing to learn his lesson earlier in the season after facing a one-game ban for repeat offences. Referees have offered Jackson plenty of warnings throughout the campaign, but his lack of maturity is on the verge of becoming costly at an important point in the season.
Similarly, Erik ten Hag has his own discipline headache in the form of Fernandes. The Portuguese international has been booked on seven occasions so far this season, with the manner of his yellow cards not exemplary of a club captain.
Fernandes was booked in his last three Premier League matches, with two of those yellow cards being due to venting his frustrations at the referee and the other coming after he tripped Adam Smith with just minutes left on the clock in United’s 3-0 loss at the hands of Bournemouth.
Questions were raised about whether Fernandes was the correct player to be named as the Red Devils’ captain before the season got underway, and the ex-Sporting star has not led by example on several occasions to help his manager justify his decision.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe now at the helm of United, an overhaul is expected and Fernandes must be wary that more suitable candidates could be signed that will have the credentials to justify being named club captain instead.
