Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
No protest, no spark... but at least there was Bruno!
But Bruno’s a big hit with fans
THERE were no dramatic protests, no anti-Glazer chants, no vilification of Ed Woodward, no jeering.
Neither, alas, were there any moments of high Manchester United quality, any flashes of inspiration, any instances of great imagination and initiative.
Bruno Fernandes enjoyed a decent debut, but he will not have been blown away by his new set of colleagues.
They sit six points out of a Champions League spot, and how they are that close is an indictment of the teams around them in the table.
They also sit THIRTY-EIGHT points behind Liverpool after 25 games, and the gap is an accurate and telling picture of the gulf that separates those two teams. Admittedly, Liverpool’s run is freakishly superb, but while they have 24 Premier League wins this campaign, United boast a mere nine.
And they never really looked like making it 10 against a Wolves side that played the more attractive football.
Fernandes has joined a magnificent institution and a mediocre team.
If he did not know that before this match, he knows it now.
At least half the crowd did not walk out a spell before the end.
In fact, the most alarming thing for United’s hierarchy must have been the silent indifference around the stadium. With expectancy levels lowering by the week, the atmosphere is becoming flatter by the week.
Eamonn Holmes was in the posh seats – I didn’t see him, I could just hear him chatting.
But this is a United team that, too often, only gets the punters out of the seats for half-time... or full-time, even.
That was certainly the case here as 40 minutes elapsed before Solskjaer’s (right) unimaginative bunch produced their first effort on target.
The attempt, giving Rui Patricio a decent spot of catching practice, came from Fernandes, making his bow after the big-money move from Sporting.
A relatively-slight individual,
Fernandes has joined a magnificent institution... and a mediocre team
MANCHESTER UNITED flopped in front of goal again against Wolves – despite new £68million signing Bruno Fernandes proving a knockout with the supporters.
The Old Trafford walkout, over the club’s ownership, on 68 minutes failed to happen with home fans lapping up their new boy from Sporting
Lisbon (left).
But the goalless draw meant it was the first time United have failed to score at home in consecutive league matches since 2014. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men failed to make up ground on the top four, and the United boss said: “We’ve played so many games in the past few months. The energy levels are low and the players need a break.”
But Solskjaer was delighted with Fernandes, and said: “He’s a great addition.”