Bruno Fernandes arrived at Manchester United in January 2020 from Sporting CP, and proceeded to become one of the club’s most important players.
The Portuguese made an instant impact at Old Trafford, scoring 12 goals from 22 games that season. He went on to win the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award for the 2019/20 campaign, despite only featuring for half a season.
Fernandes has maintained those high standards ever since, setting up goals, finding the back of the net, and making the team tick. He has also lifted the club’s Player of the Year award four times in total.
The Portuguese was handed the armband in the summer of 2023 and has won the EFL Cup and the FA Cup at Old Trafford. However, the former Sporting ace has had to reinvent himself following Ruben Amorim’s arrival last November.
Change of position hasn’t affected Bruno’s output
United shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 system under Amorim, and the team has struggled to cope with the change. The Red Devils ended up 15th in the Premier League table last season, while losing the Europa League final 0-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.
The midfielder has had to operate in various positions under his countryman, but he has still managed to impress. He finished the campaign with 19 goals and 19 assists from 57 games.
The United No. 8 was even nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, which was ultimately won by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Following the arrival of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo over the summer, the Portuguese has been operating as one of the midfield pivots this season. However, it appears that this role change hasn’t had any impact on his output.
Bruno still United’s creator-in-chief
According to the Premier League website, the club captain has created the most chances in the league this season after the first three games.
The Portuguese has created 12 chances so far, further justifying his position as the Red Devils’ creator-in-chief. Eight of those have been from open play, which is also the most in the Premier League this season.
Interestingly, United are the biggest xG underperformers in the top five leagues in Europe this campaign, which, perhaps, explains why he hasn’t picked up an assist yet.
Since his arrival in the Premier League, the Portuguese has created 512 chances in the league, the most by any player during that period.
For the record, second on that list is former Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne (374).
It is no wonder that Fernandes’ teammates, past and present, lined up to send him messages on his 31st birthday this week. United’s Portuguese Magnifico continues to set the standards at Old Trafford.
Feature image Vincent Carchietta via Getty Images
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
