BRU ARE YA?
United need Fernandes to make name for himself
BRUNO FERNANDES was all smiles as he boarded a private jet bound for Manchester United to complete his £68m move to Old Trafford.
Who could blame him? The 25-yearold has prayed for the chance to move from Sporting Lisbon to one of the world’s biggest clubs and now he has done – elevating his life and career to a whole new level.
Things are about to change for Fernandes.
He is no longer the biggest fish in the small pond of the Primeira Liga, but the potential saviour of a global but declining giant where there is no place to hide from the relentless glare of the spotlight.
United will hope Fernandes’ creative midfield skills will complement those of Paul Pogba.
But the truth is, Pogba will leave United for Real Madrid this summer, leaving the new kid in town to shoulder the burden of providing
Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer’s side with the flair and excitement they have been badly missing in recent seasons – almost certainly in a No.10 role.
It will be quite a challenge but the biggest one of all facing Fernandes will be handling the pressure, demands and expectations of a footballing monster accustomed to constant success.
That same challenge proved too much for Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Romelu Lukaku and Juan Sebastian Veron in the past.
Fernandes was regarded as the finest player in Portugal and the statistics show why he became known as the ‘Portuguese Lampard.’
He scored a remarkable 64 goals in 137 appearances for Sporting and was voted Portuguese Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
But can he do it on the biggest club stage of all?
Time will tell, but what we do know about Fernandes is that he won’t be lacking in drive, determination and devotion to the cause.
Fernandes grew up in the Porto suburb of
Maia with a mission to become a professional footballer.
He sacrificed his education to hone his skills at Boavista, where he rose through the ranks before earning a move to Novara Calcio in Italy’s Serie C.
Within weeks he had been promoted to the first team.
At 17, he struggled to communicate in Italian and became homesick. But his partner at the time, Ana Pinho, who is now his wife, moved to live with him to help him settle.
He joined Udinese within 12 months for just £2.25m and made his Serie A debut in 2013, before moving to Sampdoria on loan, where he impressed enough to earn a return to Portugal with Sporting in 2017 for less than £9m.
Fernandes, who until now has worn the No.8 shirt in tribute to his professional footballer dad, signed a fiveyear deal but those close to him knew the rising star was destined for greatness and wouldn’t see it out.
He didn’t – and the man who likes fast cars and sushi will soon be pulling on the famous red shirt of United, who have paid a guaranteed £55m plus add-ons.
Fernandes, who is said to have remarkable energy levels due to the fact he rarely drinks alcohol, also likes to lead a private life.
But he can forget this now, because the footballing world will be watching to see if he can help haul United back to the top, or become just another
expensive flop.