Man Utd signed Bruno Fernandes six years ago and the Portugal international is making the same kind of impact now as he did in 2020.
Bruno Fernandes has just brought up six years at Manchester United
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When Manchester United were weighing up a move for Bruno Fernandes in 2019, they asked a former player for a reference. Cristiano Ronaldo was an international teammate of Fernandes at the time, and he vouched for the kind of player and character that United would be getting.
The transfer that would see Fernandes follow the same path from Sporting to Manchester as Ronaldo would take another few months to come to fruition, United eventually making their move to sign him in January 2020. But boy, did it prove to be money well spent.
The fee for Fernandes could reach £67million if all add-ons are met. In reality, he has been a £100million footballer for Manchester United since the moment he walked into the building six years ago yesterday. The club had done their due diligence on Fernandes and knew what they were getting. Not just an elite-level player, but somebody who was desperate to win and wouldn't think twice of calling out any slip in standards.
It probably summed up his character that Fernandes played 90 minutes two days after signing for the club. That game against Wolves was six years ago tomorrow and a goalless draw was an inauspicious start. It didn't take long for his demonstrative side to appear. Now it is referees who tend to cop for it, but back then it was often his teammates, many of who just weren't on the same wavelength.
The first time I remember being struck by Fernandes's force of personality was in his third appearance for the club. He started on the bench in a Europa League last-16 first-leg tie at Club Brugge, but was already showing that he was a leader. When he came on in the final nine minutes, United improved immediately, and on a couple of occasions, he scolded teammates for not getting the ball to him quickly enough.
It was the kind of reaction that could cause concern in some dressing rooms, but speaking to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer afterwards, it was clear the United manager wanted more of it, rather than less.
"He’s another conductor and leader and winner," said Solskjaer. "He wants to win, He doesn’t take 99 per cent as good enough and he’s impressed me. That’s something you see when you watch him but you don’t really know about until you have him in your group. He’s been absolutely top class."
That is a description every United manager since would agree with. No matter how bad things got, there was always Fernandes to fall back on. He has rarely let his standards drop.
His elevation to the captaincy in the summer of 2023 felt a long time coming. He had been the heartbeat of the team for a while and was already regularly wearing the armband, but now became the on-pitch leader. His ascension hasn't been without its faults and there has been discussion about his suitability for the role, never more so than after a stroppy second-half when losing 7-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in March 2023.
The fact that came before he was confirmed as club captain showed that those inside Old Trafford never lost faith in Fernandes. That on-pitch demeanour might occasionally rile critics, but it comes from a position of being desperate to win. That hasn't happened often enough for Fernandes and United.
Speak to anyone who works regularly at Carrington and Old Trafford, and they will highlight the human side of Fernandes' leadership. Forget what happens on the pitch; he is a unifying force off it. Humble enough to treat every member of staff the same way and make sure that they are all happy.
He wasn't alone in being stung by the redundancies implemented since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival in February 2024, and he has always tried to help where he can. When staff perks were slashed ahead of the FA Cup final that May, he offered to pay for them out of his own pocket, a gesture that was rejected.
That he has won just two trophies in his time at Old Trafford is a disappointing return. If anyone in the last six years deserves more, it is Fernandes. He is the only player in this period who would even be in a conversation about whether he would get in to the best and most successful United sides of the past.
The Carabao Cup and FA Cup are a meagre return, and that won't change this season. Even if United get back into the Champions League, there will be no silverware at the end of this campaign. At that point, Fernandes will have a decision to make.
He came close to leaving for Saudi Arabia in the summer and reopened old wounds recently by giving an interview in Portugal in which he said United wanted him to go but lacked the "courage" to tell him. He will again make a decision on his future this summer, probably after the World Cup, and an exit can't be ruled out.
He has at least looked happier since Michael Carrick returned. Simplicity has been the hallmark of Carrick's first couple of weeks in charge and he has restored the Premier League's best No. 10 to a role playing as a No. 10. It has got the best out of Fernandes once more.
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He has been engaged by Carrick's decision to make training sessions shorter but more intense. He has a strong relationship with the 44-year-old, who was on Solskjaer's staff when he arrived at the club. Carrick believes Fernandes is in a good place at the moment.
If United can secure a return to the Champions League, then perhaps Fernandes feels it is worth staying on. His time in Manchester deserves a fitting coda for what he has delivered. If he does wish to leave, it can't be held against him. Few players have given more for less in red in recent years.
If he does stay, he will surpass Ronaldo as United's most-used player from Portugal. That is a record that would mean a lot for somebody whose affiliation with the club began when he used to watch Ronaldo playing here. His career in Manchester hasn't hit the heights of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but there is little doubt that, in a difficult period, he has been just as important to Manchester United as his countryman.