Bruno Fernandes has made a stellar impact at Manchester United since joining the club in January 2020.
A Portuguese star joining Manchester United and turning into a superstar is nothing new but the impact that Bruno Fernandes has had at the club in one year is nothing short of extraordinary.
Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United with the club in 5th position, 6 points adrift of Top-4 and a staggering 36 points behind the eventual champions Liverpool. The former Sporting Lisbon captain had to proliferate his winning mentality and leadership across this United team and he did so seamlessly. Manchester United stayed unbeaten for the rest of the season and secured a Champions League place with a 2-0 win away to Leicester City. Without Bruno, Manchester United would have almost certainly failed to qualify for the Champions League.
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28 Goals. 17 Assists. 1 Portuguese Magnifico.
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His win-at-all-cost attitude and incredible work-ethic has galvanized this United team and it's hard to think of a better debut year by a player in the Premier League history. Such comparisons led to Fernandes' debut year being compared to the great Eric Cantona, who joined United midway through the 92-93 season and helped the club end their 26 year wait for the league title but the Portuguese has played down the comparisons.
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| Fernandes has played down comparison with Cantona. |
"It’s really good for me to listen to that and to be talked about alongside such names," Fernandes, told the club’s website. "For me, Cantona was an amazing player for the club and I need to do much better to be compared with him." he added.
Comparisons with Cantona sound a bit premature but no one can deny the impact that Fernandes has had at Manchester United, his stats in his debut year at Old Trafford are ridiculously good.
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| Bruno has had an outstanding debut year. |
Some of the key numbers are...
- With 19 goals and 14 assists, Fernandes has been directly contributed to over half of Manchester United’s 60 Premier League goals since he made his debut.
- 31 Premier League goal contributions in 2019 saw Fernandes break Frank Lampard’s calendar record for a midfielder of 29, set in 2009.
- The midfielder is the only player to have registered 12+ goals and 12+ assists in the Premier League since his United debut.
- Fernandes has become the first Portuguese player to score 10 goals in a Premier League season since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008-09.
- Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi are the only players with more direct goal contributions in Europe’s top five leagues than Fernandes since the start of February.
- The midfielder is the only player to have registered 12+ goals and 12+ assists in the Premier League since his United debut.
- 4 Premier League Player of the Month awards in a year.
( Stats taken from Planet Football)
You often see players needing time to settle into a new league but Bruno has fit United like a glove to a hand and he is showing no signs of stopping with 45 G/A already. Fernandes has transformed Manchester United from head to toe not just with his goals and assists, but with his presence and his growing aura around the club.
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| Bruno Fernandes is at the forefront of a Man Utd title challenge. |
Now, Bruno Fernandes in spearheading an unexpected Manchester United title-charge with Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team just one point behind neighbors Manchester City. This Man United team has come a long way in the last year and Bruno Fernandes has been at the forefront of it.
It's hard to imagine that Bruno has played in front of a packed Old Trafford only thrice and is already a fan favorite! His allergic winning mentality has made him a darling at Old Trafford and United's Portuguese Magnifico will now be aiming to lift some trophies as United's talisman.
