Bruno Fernandes arrived in January from Sporting Lisbon and has been key to Manchester United’s resurgence ever since.
It has been a season of crests, troughs and then crests again for Manchester United.
They started brilliantly with the 4-0 demolishing of Chelsea. Paul Pogba was lost to injury again and their fortunes dwindled. Bruno Fernandes’ addition in the January transfer window reinvigorated them to glorious heights.
Despite only spending eight months in the iconic red jersey, the Portuguese attacker has been their best player. It is only natural that comparisons with Eric Cantona have surfaced as a result.
Rio Ferdinand has been all praise for Fernandes. He hailed how the 25-year-old has made United’s attack more potent and their forwards rely on service delivery from him.
It was his performances that dragged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men in the Europa League. Fernandes finished the second-tier European club competition with 8 goals and 4 assists, the most in both categories.
The retired England international called him a top player and believes his impact is more than what United had hoped for.
“Fernandes has been a breath of fresh air for the team,” Ferdinand told TEAMTalk. “Where he has been great is unlocking the imagination of the team.
“You see Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood, and the minute Fernandes get the ball, they are off, they know their chance is coming. He doesn’t need a second invitation to deliver that pass.
“That’s what top players do. They change a team and a club with their presence, and we have seen that with Fernandes at United.”