Manchester United brought in Bruno Fernandes from Sporting during the January transfer window and the Portuguese has had an instant impact at the club.
Fernandes managed to score eight goals and assisted another seven in just 14 Premier League matches for United during the recently concluded season and it was a combination of Patrice Evra and Cristiano Ronaldo who helped Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secure the signing.
“United can’t challenge Liverpool or Man City. Not yet. There’s been massive damage but we’re moving in the right direction,” Evra told the Guardian, as reported by Goal.
“When they wanted to sign Bruno Fernandes, Ole texted me. I asked for advice from Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano says: ‘Bruno’s a good guy and very professional.’
“I say: ‘Ole, I’ve spoken with Cristiano. Let’s go for it.’ And Fernandes had a massive impact. Without him, I don’t think we would have qualified for the Champions League.
“Paul’s really misunderstood. People talk more about his hairstyle but he’s a great kid, a shy boy actually,
“It was important for Fernandes to relieve that attention on Paul. It wasn’t fair. Paul is a happy person and we have been close so long. He Facetimed me yesterday at 11:30 pm. I said: ‘Paul, I’m in bed. Let me sleep.’”
Bruno Fernandes has not only taken the burden off of Paul Pogba but he has also turned himself into a leader within the first-team squad. The playmaker is not only leading with his goals but his work rate on the pitch has also forced the other players to work harder.
There’s no doubt that Solskjaer is going to build his starting XI around Fernandes but for Man United to be challenging for the title once again, the hierarchy will have to bring the right kind of players.
