Bruno Fernandes has been progressing rapidly at Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Portuguese playmaker has been the heart of the team at Old Trafford ever since his arrival from Sporting CP.
And it indeed shows if we take a look at his stats, 21 goals and 13 assists in 35 outings at the Theatre of Dreams. With exclusion from only two matches for the Red Devils, Fernandes records an average 2.2 goals per game. If you can recall, Cristiano Ronaldo used to do something similar, rather better than his teammate.
Fernandes, however, displayed his portion of qualities during United’s latest Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir. Along with his brace, the 26-year-old now has goals to his name in three matches.
This is including the games against Everton and West Brom. It is only fair to draw similarities to his Portugal teammate Ronaldo, who still remains in the hearts of United fans.
During his scintillating career with the Red Devils, Cristiano managed to net 118 goals in 292 matches. And with some jaw-dropping performances, he then attracted a move to Real Madrid.
As a matter of fact, Solskjaer has experienced the raw talent of Ronaldo first-hand during a point in his run at United. And believes that Fernandes has a similar presence on the field like his fellow countryman.
“He does definitely have that presence and an influence and impact on his team-mates. You can just look at results we’ve had since he came in,” the United boss said in a press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Southampton.
“He’s got loads of energy, leadership, he’s a team player which is the key here now for us going forward. Some players will have to sit games out and rest. I wasn’t looking forward to telling Bruno when he was rested against Leipzig but he was absolutely no problem, the same as Marcus [Rashford].
“They know this season is challenging and that’s how we build this team. The culture of the team – it’s about the team, not individuals. And Bruno has proved that over and over, that’s it’s the team before ‘I’.”