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After two transfer windows chasing Bruno Fernandes, the Portuguese international has finally been signed by Manchester United in a reported £60million deal. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not have voiced his displeasure at the lack of signings this month but the Norweigian manager desperately needed a creative midfielder to bolster his side.
Long-term injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay have hampered Manchester United's ongoing campaign. The Red Devils sit 5th in the Premier League table, 6 points behind Chelsea. The Old Trafford faithful will be hoping for an instant impact from Bruno Fernandes who has been one of the most in-form midfield players in the last couple of seasons.
It has been widely reported that Manchester United spent much of last season and this one scouting the player's profile and how will he improve their team. So what exactly should the fans expect from their new high-profile signing in the remainder of this season?
Answering that million-dollar question, we look at 3 most certain things Manchester United fans can expect from Bruno Fernandes who is already being hailed as their new 'Midfield Messiah'.
#3. Leadership on and off the pitch
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been insistent about signing only the right kind of players who have the mentality to succeed at Manchester United. So far in the media briefs, Bruno Fernandes has been hailed as an 'arrogant yet humble' character who is confident of his own abilities.
The word from Portugual is that Fernandes has been carrying the Sporting Lisbon side on his own for the last couple of seasons. Apart from his goals and assists, the Portuguese was an influential figure on the pitch. It was not a surprise to anyone when he was named the club captain at such a young age.
The Portuguese international has that 'never say die' attitude which Solskjaer loves to see in his players. During the course of this season, we have witnessed Manchester United lack that leader on the pitch who demands the ball in midfield and takes the onus to drive the team forward.
Pogba's injury has been a curse for the Red Devils but with Fernandes in the team, Old Trafford could finally see some urgency in their team's build-up play. The red team from Manchester have won just one game this season after conceding an opening goal. Fans would hope to see this change with their new £60million signing dictating the play in opposition's half.
Having captained Sporting Lisbon for the past 2 seasons, the Portuguese midfielder is most likely to be integrated into Solskjaer's leadership group to look after the first team and younger players. If Paul Pogba leaves in the summer, Bruno Fernandes will be seen as the most influential player for the Red Devils.
#2. Creativity and flexibility
Bruno Fernandes created most number of chances (239) during his stint in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. He also managed 28 assists, created 31 big chances and played 1364 final third passes in that time. The Portuguese also led the charts for most through balls (17) since his move to the Primeira Liga.
Fernandes as a playmaker is very much like Kevin De Bruyne where both players rely on through balls and whipped crosses to create chances. The former Sampdoria man likes to operate between the lines where he gets the ball in space and then releases an early through ball for the wingers or exchange a slick one-two to open up the space for himself to drive into.
When creating in the final third, Bruno also likes to deliver a precise cross to the far post. Manchester United do not have a target man in the box so Fernandes identifying and supplying a target will give the attacking players more chances of scoring a goal.
The most encouraging thing about all of this is that the Portuguese international does not rely on a particular system to deliver the goods. Sporting Lisbon used the 25-year-old midfielder in a 4-3-3 system last season as the #8 where he was given a free license to roam forward or drop deep to help out his team's transitional play. This free role seemed to get the best out of him.
However, Silas (Sporting Lisbon manager) has been quite experimental with his formation this season and has already used a 4-2-3-1, a flat 4-4-2, a diamond 4-3-3 and even a back three. These changes have not seen any impact on the creative spark from the Portuguese international. Good news for the Manchester United fans is that all of these formations have been used by their manager as well in the last 18 months.
Solskjaer prefers to go with 4-2-3-1 with the player in number 10 role being the focal point. When their #10 plays well, Red Devils have displayed some exciting football and thus helped them win a lot of matches this season. Bruno Fernandes has been bought with the idea of playing in the number 10 role which needs an immediate upgrade to say the least.
Solskjaer has used Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, and Andreas Pereira in the number 10 role this season but the trio have managed just 3 goals and 5 assists in 29 combined appearances. Needless to say, a more potent #10 like Bruno Fernandes will drastically improve how Manchester United have played this season.
However, if Solskjaer were to use a 4-3-3 system upon Pogba's return he can use Bruno as the right-sided midfielder as he likes to drift to that side more often than not. This would also allow Paul Pogba to retain his preferred left-sided role and the two midfielders can choose their moments to push forward or drop deep.
#1. Goals galore
It may have only been the Portuguese league but Bruno Fernades scoring 32 goals from midfield last season made everyone stand up and take notice of the player. Felipe Dias, editor of O Jogo raved about the Portuguese superstar and went on to say:
''We're talking about an offensive centre midfielder who scored 32 goals. Even in domestic Portuguese football and the Europa League, which admittedly isn't the most glamorous, you cannot deny his talent.'
"His scoring ability is second to none. In 20 years of journalism, I have never seen a midfield player score goals like that. It's astounding.
"Okay, we are talking about domestic Portuguese football and the Europa League, but when you are the best you can deliver anywhere. This is a top, top player."
All Bruno Fernandes Goals & Assists - 2018/19
During his two-and-a-half year stint as a Sporting Lisbon player, Fernandes scored 64 goals in 137 appearances. Not just scoring goals, the midfielder loves to take shots on goal, especially from a distance. Out of his 39 league goals for Sporting Lisbon, 9 have come from outside the box, another trait which could make him an instant hero among the Old Trafford going fans.
Far too often this season, Manchester United have failed to break down teams who operate with a deeper defensive block as none of their midfielders play that one expansive pass or try a shot from distance. That could soon change with Bruno Fernandes integrated in the playing XI.
In the final third, Fernandes uses clever one-two to find himself in space and set up shooting or scoring opportunities. The best thing about the Portuguese ace is that he is very good on both his feet and can finish chances with a great deal of success. Also he is not just a goal-scorer of one type, he is equally good at volleys, chips, left foot and right foot when it comes to scoring a goal.
The 25-year-old likes to adopt a quick combination play and he could link up very well with Anthony Martial. When playing with his back to goal, Martial's link-up play is very good. His physical presence allows him to hold on to the ball and is quite skillful at dribbling past the defenders.
If the Frenchman is at his best, he can really set up a deadly combination with the former Sporting Lisbon man which will not only help his own goal tally but will help set up goals for all the Manchester United attackers. On paper, Bruno Fernandes looks an ideal signing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer where the manager gets a creative player who also has a very keen eye for the goal.
Over the years, we have seen a lot of big names (Di Maria, Falcao, Alexis Sanchez) come to Old Trafford and be weighed down by the expectations of immediate success. Those who know Bruno Fernandes well claim he can handle the pressure of expectations but even then he should be given some time to adjust to the competitive nature of the Premier League. A poor game against Wolverhampton this Saturday should not be the criteria to judge this much-awaited £60million transfer.
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