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With French World Cup winner Paul Pogba out for almost the entire season with an ankle injury and the current midfielders' crop of Scott McTominay and Fred not being enough to compete in different competitions week-in week-out, it was highly probable that Manchester United would bring in a big name to Old Trafford in the winter transfer window. After scouting almost all the talented midfielders in Europe, the Red Devils found their man from the city of Lisbon.
Bruno Fernandes was introduced to the streets of Manchester on the 29th of January 2020 for a reported fee of almost €80 million, and the fans were sent into a frenzy in the expectations of their new midfielder's exploits for his previous club in the recent years. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the Portuguese international has exceeded the expectations.
After a quiet debut in a goal-less draw against Wolves, Fernandes made an immediate impact in the big game against Chelsea by providing an assist for United captain Harry Maguire. He then went on to score his first goal for the club against Watford through a penalty. Since his arrival, Fernandes boasts an amazing 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 appearances for Manchester United.
The Portuguese even produced an assist for French striker Anthony Martial to open the scoring in the Manchester Derby on Sunday and was influential in the win over their city rivals.
Highly and rightly regarded for having an 'X Factor' by his coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the article takes a look at the 3 reasons why the midfielder has found immediate success in the Premier League.
#3 Freedom given by Solskjær to roam freely
Since his debut, Fernandes has been the player with the maximum goal involvements in the Premier League surpassing all the talented midfielders in England. A lot of the credit for this goes to the his manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
The freedom of positioning given to him by Solskjær enables him to be more creative on the pitch and create lots of opportunities for his team-mates, whether in set-pieces or in open play. Also, this helps the team defensively too as United's new signing can perform his defensive duties as well and not just stick to his zone in the opponent's half. The fans can expect to see lot of further dimensions to his game-play in the coming weeks due to license of freedom given to him by the manager.
#2 Adapting to life in the Premier League very quickly
Since he joined United, there have been many questions around his adaptabilty - How will the player settle, how will he adjust to his teammates and how long will he take to solve the challenges of a new league.
But contrary to everyone's expectations, the midfielder has adapted to the Premier League as if he has been playing in it for ages.
In an interview with Manchester Evening News, United left-back Luke Shaw heaped praise on Fernandes saying that it showed his quality that he found it so easy to adapt straightaway. Shaw also went on to reveal that his new team-mate has not only improved the team offensively, but also defensively.
Only time can tell now if Fernandes can stay consistent and become a big player for United for many seasons to come.
#1 Won the faith of his team-mates by his playing style
Bruno Fernandes' impact on United's performances off-late has been nothing short of seismic. There is a perfect explanation for that.
He passes the ball neatly while always playing on the half turn, something which footballing legend Johan Cruyff used to describe as “facing the right way”. Not only that, he demands the ball from his team-mates, and takes responsibility for it while turning it into something wonderful.
This has enabled him to gain the trust of his team-mates and coaching staff instantly. It is shown in the chemistry between him and the other players on the pitch, especially Anthony Martial who has found a new lease of life since Fernandes' arrival.
This United squad can only improve further when injured stars like Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford join the starting eleven and bond with the Portuguese. Bruno Fernandes has been a revolutionary figure at United till now and has painted Manchester red since his arrival to the Premier League.
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