This season, if you take away all the goals scored by Bruno Fernandes and the assists he gave out in all the games of Manchester United, you will find that the team would have done much worse.What would have been 8 wins would have turned into draws, and what would have been 8 draws would have turned into losses.What would have been 23 wins, 17 draws and 20 losses would have become 15 wins, 17 draws and 28 losses.
In other words, without Fernandez’s efforts, United might not have even made it to the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup, let alone the final.In the Premier League, they might even be in the bottom four, 10 points behind the front-runners, and fall straight into the relegation zone with two rounds left.
Of course, the reality is that teams don’t give up on games just because they’re one man short, but these stats still speak volumes about how important Fernandez is to United.Trying to find a player who can fully replace him is almost impossible.
It would be hard to find another player like him at Old Trafford, or even in the Premier League as a whole – a player with both skill and passion, who can also carry the flag in a team that is not very strong as a whole and help the team through the toughest times.
Portugal coach Ruben Amorim once said, “We need more people like Bruno.”This actually reminds us of something: sometimes we forget that United used to like to look for scapegoats when they didn’t do well, and this season, even their captain had been criticized.
In terms of performance, Fernandez didn’t play well at first: he got a red card against Tottenham Hotspur in September, although it was later overturned, and he was sent off again in the next game, although he couldn’t refute it on that occasion, but United ended up with a 3-3 draw with Porto away from home.
In his first 11 games with United, he didn’t score a single goal and only dished out four assists, which came against promoted Southampton, Barnsley and in the Community Shield.
His form at that point was a cause for concern and made many start to question whether Ten Hagar had made the right decision to bring him in in the first place.But Temhag, the manager at the time, said, “I’m sure he’ll play this season.He can create chances, make key passes and score goals.It’s just a matter of time.”
As it turned out, Ten Hagar was right, even though he didn’t get to see that day himself.Fernandez later apologized to Ten Hagar himself for not feeling like he did everything he could to help the Dutch coach keep his job.And his first goal came in Van Nistelrooy’s first game as interim boss.
Since then, Fernandez has worked hard to change United’s fortunes.He has scored 19 goals in all competitions, which is the second highest number of goals he has scored in a single season at United.He also contributed 18 assists.Even if you don’t count penalties, he was involved in 30 goals, a figure that is very close to his best performance in the 2020/21 season.
What’s more, Fernandez is a “game-changing” player.More than three-quarters of his goals or assists have come in games where he has turned the game around, such as bringing United from behind to equalize, or from a draw to a lead.He has scored the most such ‘game-changing’ goals in the team since he joined.
Not only that, but he’s a tireless runner on the pitch.No Premier League player has created more chances than him in the last two seasons.On the United side, no player has also played longer than him, totaling 4,927 minutes.Arguably, he is one of the most scrappy that player at Old Trafford.
Fernandez has also been impressive as a captain over the past year.Both on and off the field, he has shown his sense of responsibility towards the club.
For example, during last season’s FA Cup final, United’s management told their staff that there would be no free tickets, transportation or accommodation provided for the match.Upon hearing this news, Fernandez offered to pay for these expenses with his own money.
Even though the club’s finances were tight, he never reduced his concern for the ordinary staff who quietly contributed to the team.In February this year, he also organized a party with bowling plus Brazilian food, hoping to relax the players and staff and regain their confidence.The cost of this event was also borne by him personally.
In December last year, after United lost to Newcastle, Zirkser, who came off the bench, was booed by fans.Fernandez, who was watching the game from the stands at the time, saw the scene and immediately got up and walked to the dressing room to comfort him.
All these details show that Fernandez is not only a good player, but also a person with a sense of commitment and responsibility.His loyalty to United is reflected not only on the pitch, but also in his respect for every member of the club as a whole.
However, uncertainty is now beginning to surface about his future.He had the chance to leave United last summer, but he chose to stay and signed a three-year contract with an option clause to extend it to 2028.Saudi giants Al Hilal have been interested in him though.
United’s poor performance in this year’s UEFA Cup final exposed a problem: when Fernandez is out of form, no one can really step up.After the match, he said he was willing to accept selling him if the club felt it was the best option.
If United do let him go, they will lose at least £80 million in transfer revenue, as well as one of the best players not only from last season, but from the last decade.But Fernandez himself doesn’t want to just leave.
Just a few days before the final, he mentioned a tidbit in an interview with CBS.At the time, Zilkzer made a joke that turned out to be taken seriously.He said, “I hope next year I work as hard as I did this season, but I hope I’m no longer on the ‘Progress Award’ list because it means I haven’t done my best.Amad has improved, Ganacho has improved, and Hoylund has improved.”
This statement sounds like an encouragement to his teammates, but it also reveals that he holds himself to a very high standard.He wants everyone around him to get better so that United can truly get out of the doldrums.
Overall, Fernandez is not just a player of United, but more like the soul of this team.His departure is not only a tactical loss for United, but also a huge blow on the mental level.
So let’s put it this way: if Bruno Fernandes leaves Manchester United, it’s like the Red Devils have lost a beating heart.
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