The Bruno effect
Fernandes leading the way in England
Bruno Fernandes. Those are the two words that Manchester United fans might turn them into English Premier League winners.
The Portuguese schemer has been a revelation since he arrived at Old Trafford a year ago, and he explained his attitude after his side beat Liverpool 3-2 in the FA Cup last weekend.
Fernandes came off the bench to score the winner, of course.
He has scored plenty of winners since he arrived in Manchester from Sporting Lisbon.
“I don’t conform with [the idea that] losing games is normal stuff,” Fernandes said after his winner. “Losing is not normal so my mentality comes from that. I don’t like to lose... This mentality will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Fans of the club will be happy if it sticks around as long as he does at Old Trafford – and they would like that to be a long time.
A win over Liverpool, last season’s English Premier League champions and champions of Europe the year before, is key to where those fans and the club see themselves in terms of getting back on their perch.
Fernandes, though, was as cold blooded after the game as he was when he stepped up to slot his free kick past Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
He certainly did not make a fuss of his winner but he did let his guard slip a little to say he enjoyed a winner that would have taken the roof of Old Trafford if it was filled with 76,000-plus like the good old, pre-coronavirus days. Still, his ambition shone through, like it has in almost every game since he first pulled on a red shirt almost a year ago. “Every goal is a great moment, every win is a great moment for us. Personally, scoring the last goal in a game like this against one of the biggest rivals we have is always important. “But I think the most important moment in the club [ for me] will be when I get a trophy.” His manager, Ole Gunnar Solsk Solskjaer, was much more fulsome in his praise of the match- match-winner. winner. “When you leave him out like I did today, he stayed about 45 minutes after training yesterday shooting free kicks, so I was pretty confident he could score one if he got the chance,” Solskjaer said. “He’s never happy with me ,when I tell him to go inside after training when he’s playing the next day, so he got some practice yesterday.” Practice, as they say, makes perfect. The worry for the rest of English football is how much more Fernandes has to offer.
His winner against Liverpool was the 28th time he had scored for United in all competitions – English Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League – more than anyone else in English football since he signed.
It’s not like the five players behind him in those standings are doing badly.
Harry Kane – 26 goals, 14 assists
The England skipper is second to Fernandes, having found a new lease of life under new Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.
He and Son Heung- Heung-min min have become telepathic, with the pair turning provider for one another for 13 goals this season. Kane has added a new string to his bow for club and country, moving further into the upper echelon of elite footballers in the process.
Mohamed Salah – 26 goals, eight assists
Liverpool’s top scorer this season but is yet to reach the same heights he has been. That is despite scoring both goals for the side in their loss in Manchester. Salah’s future has been the source of much speculation.
Son Heung-min – 22 goals, 12 assists
The South Korean skipper has been in remarkable form for several seasons, outperforming his own expected goals more than any other player in global football – not hurt by scoring four in a game against Southampton earlier this season.
That he heads a list where Kane and Lionel Messi are second and third is testament to where the Spurs striker has seen his reputation rise in recent years. Vital to Spurs, arguably the greatest Asian footballer ever and a regular transfer target for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Kevin de Bruyne – 12 goals, 21 assists
Belgium international De Bruyne has long been considered the best player in the Premier League and deservedly so.
Manchester City’s midfield maestro has an eye for goal that is only bettered by his eye for a killer pass, one that has helped his teammates to a couple of Premier League titles. They are favorites on paper for the EPL crown but that has been diminished by an injury to De Bruyne that may keep him out until February.
Marcus Rashford – 18 goals, 10 assists
A teammate of Fernandes at Old Trafford, Rashford is the only player to come close to the same talismanic effect. The 23-year- 23-year-old old future captain of club and country is not doing as well this season as he was last season – where he hit a career best 22 goals for the Red Devils – but recent weeks, including a goal and assist against Liverpool last week, hint that there is more to come.