Bruno Fernandes: One Year at Old Trafford for the Portuguese Magnifico
By Varun Aithal
What a year it has been for Manchester United fans. From a team placed in the bottom half of the table to title contenders, Red Devils have turned their fortunes. Though it was a team effort, most of the credit goes to one man and that is none other than Bruno Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United from Sporting CP for an initial fee of £47 million. If various bonuses are to be included, the Portuguese could cost Manchester United a sum of £67.7 million. The player has not allowed his huge price tag to take a toll on him and has produced astonishing numbers for the club.
Since his arrival at Old Trafford, Fernandes has 46 goal involvements to his name across all competitions. He has scored 28 goals and assisted 18 times for his side. None of his midfield counterparts in the league has the big numbers and are unable to match Bruno Fernandes’ goal involvements.
Well, this one didn't turn out too badly 🇵🇹🤩#MUFC @B_Fernandes8 https://t.co/8h3A5je8pM pic.twitter.com/jfDA5YXOBN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 30, 2021
Though the player failed to leave a big impact on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he carved his way to the top with his performances against top sides like Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.
In his debut game, he bagged the “Man of the Match” award for his impressive display despite a goalless draw.
He is one of those players who justified the words with his actions. When he arrived at Old Trafford, the player said:
"For me to now play for Manchester United feels incredible, I have worked hard to get to this moment and I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies(Via: manutd.com)"
Though the club is unable to bag a trophy since his arrival, they have made it to four semifinals in cup competitions. Also, his determination and endless energy has allowed Ole to field Bruno in every match of the Premier League. The player has not missed a single outing of the Premier League since his arrival.
What influenced Manchester United to sign Bruno Fernandes?
Manchester United started the 2019/20 season on a great note by defeating Chelsea 4-0 at Old Trafford, their form slowly vanished over the course of the next set of fixtures. Moreover, Jesse Lingard and Andreas Periera’s inconsistency hampered the club’s progress in the league.
The pressure was slowly mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to improve the club’s position. United were out of the “top six” in the league standings before they decided to go for the playmaker.
The Manchester United board responded quickly and took everyone by surprise. They had the Portuguese Magnifico before the transfer window slammed shut on January 31st of 2020. He brought some of the magic back to Old Trafford.
He started scoring left, right and center for Solskjaer. With his exquisite passes, he opened up sides who sat deep and defended with a low block. Also, he solved the mysterious question of “how to unlock Paul Pogba?” but it took a while before the two were a regular fixture together in the same lineup.
In a calendar year, the 26-year-old has won four “Premier League Player of the Month” awards, the most by any player in the league. Also, he has the fourth most goal involvements in the top five European leagues since he signed for Manchester United.
In the 2020/21 season, Bruno Fernandes has 11 goals to his name and is just two goals behind the leader, Mohammad Salah. He also has seven assists to his name for the club in the English top-flight, which has propelled the club to a title race.
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If he is able to produce similar kinds of performances for six more months consistently, he can help Ole become the first manager to lift the PL trophy since Sir Alex at Old Trafford.