[JohnnyLaw]

He’s like the player embodiment of the last United side that won the league. Hugely inconsitant, frustrating and at the same time unstoppable and sharp as a knife.

Probably shouldn’t be too surprised though, his stats always indicated this would be the case.

Absolutely incredible the effect he’s had on the team.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Clearly, Ole is only there to smile and wave, Bruno is the secret manager of the club.

 

[#07]

 

[LawCharltonBest]

To see how he's done so far at United and the few (admittedly rare) times i saw him for Sporting and Portugal, it seems bizarre to think he was at Udinese and Sampdoria and they both let him leave for peanuts.

Additionally, I love how Solskjaer plays him. He's very close to the main striker a lot of the time

 

[#07]

 

[bond19821982]

Remember arguing with Sporting fans that he isn't worth more than 50 and it would be a robbery to pay 70m price. Not many attacking players come from Portugal and produce the numbers here. We had Ronaldo and Nani 12 years back. Jimenez is probably another one but again not elite level.

Boy - this guy has exceeded my expectations, broken all conventional theories . Long may it continue !

Shows how we cannot judge anyone from their early career. He was quite average in Italy but completely turned it in Portugal.

 

[Jonno]

To see how he's done so far at United and the few (admittedly rare) times i saw him for Sporting and Portugal, it seems bizarre to think he was at Udinese and Sampdoria and they both let him leave for peanuts.

Additionally, I love how Solskjaer plays him. He's very close to the main striker a lot of the time

This is also key. Some other managers might have him deeper or in a more disciplined role. Bruno has license to do what he wants every week and opponents absolutely hate it.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Think he deserved the manager of the month too in all honesty.

 

[tenpoless]

Herrera + Mata = Bruno

...almost

 

[Dante]

some salty replies

He's now equalled Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas on two wins.

Only Salah has won it 3 times in row. That's not out of the question for Bruno, given the way he started July.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

they even made him the manager of the month

Bruno's at the wheel!

 

[Deleted 112447]

Herrera + Mata = Bruno

...almost

Fair post. He is a very good AM but my God does he work hard and is everywhere. I haven't seen a player like this since Rooney.

 

[Tony247]

Wow, we are equaling, breaking and making new good records in 2020!

Well deserved back to back EPL player of the month. What an impact Bruno has had on this team. Phenomenal. Suddenly we've started playing like Man United.

 

[#07]

 

[SportingCP96]

Remember arguing with Sporting fans that he isn't worth more than 50 and it would be a robbery to pay 70m price. Not many attacking players come from Portugal and produce the numbers here. We had Ronaldo and Nani 12 years back. Jimenez is probably another one but again not elite level.

Boy - this guy has exceeded my expectations, broken all conventional theories . Long may it continue !

Shows how we cannot judge anyone from their early career. He was quite average in Italy but completely turned it in Portugal.

I. TOLD. YOU

You would always go back and forth with me but im glad you have joined my side now mate!

 

[Nick7]

His confidence is probably his best quality so far. He never stops trying things, even in a couple of games where he's been below par to start he never loses that confidence and it's rubbing off on the other players. They can safely play him in and know that he will try something to unlock the defence. We look a much more confident team with him on the pitch. Looks like the players have bought into him 100% and completely trust him.

 

[unplayable]

Already talking about scoring another 5 goals against LASK. This man has no mercy.

 

[The United]

With LVG's, Jose's football and the likes of Mata's safety first passes, I am glad we have a Burno. Let him lose the ball, we have more than half of team to win it back behind him.

The whole time I watched United under SAF, I was used to seeing players going and driving the ball forward no matter what. And, I had kind of forgot about it in the last few years until now.

 

[FootyGirl88]

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

He's a magic man!

 

[Tony247]

With LVG's, Jose's football and the likes of Mata's safety first passes, I am glad we have a Burno. Let him lose the ball, we have more than half of team to win it back behind him.

The whole time I watched United under SAF, I was used to seeing players going and driving the ball forward no matter what. And, I had kind of forgot about it in the last few years until now.

It is possible that younger generation mostly remember pep's barcelona, their tiki taka (or whatever that is) and 80% possession football in every match. Those of us watched football through 80s and 90s remember possession was never a thing to brag about. Many top quality teams lose the ball during attack and those days it was just shrugged off. Probably that invites the other team to attack and that's what makes the game more open and interesting.

 

[Buchan]

Already talking about scoring another 5 goals against LASK. This man has no mercy.

Bruno, mate, they’ve got families to go home to!

 

[bond19821982]

I. TOLD. YOU

You would always go back and forth with me but im glad you have joined my side now mate!

Yes, ofcourse , I didn't trust you and thought you were talking in favor of your captain. I had data in my side which actually meant feck all.

He is the captain material mate, much better than Maguire or anyone else.

 

[Buchan]

He's now equalled Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas on two wins.

Only Salah has won it 3 times in row. That's not out of the question for Bruno, given the way he started July.

IIRC, Salah won three in a single season, non-consecutively, which is still the individual record.

Three in a row has never been done before.

 

[TrustInOle]

Just wow. Guy has simply outdone all expectations, can not compliment him enough.

@SportingCP96 I followed your comments alot since last summer, and was mildly excited by them but with doubts he coul produce it in England. Did you expect him to be this good? And how is he performing in contrast to his days with you?

 

[spaceboyRSA]

How is his season rating only 7.6?

 

[SilentWitness]

His stats are stupid.

23 G and 21 A this season.
32 G and 18 A last season.
16 G and 20 A in 17/18.

Over those 3 seasons he has 22 G and A in 22 EL games so it's not just because the Liga NOS is worse than the PL that he's putting those stats up, I genuinely think he's just that good.

 

[Tony247]

How is his season rating only 7.6?

7.6 average is quite respectable.

 

[mu4c_20le]

His stats are stupid.

23 G and 21 A this season.
32 G and 18 A last season.
16 G and 20 A in 17/18.

Over those 3 seasons he has 22 G and A in 22 EL games so it's not just because the Liga NOS is worse than the PL that he's putting those stats up, I genuinely think he's just that good.

feck, we might just have to pay the ballon d'or clause this time

 

[spaceboyRSA]

7.6 average is quite respectable.

Of course. I just think his performance has been stupendous

 

[RedTiger]

Already talking about scoring another 5 goals against LASK. This man has no mercy.

The United way. I fecking missed this.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

I mean if United are really interested then they have to change it up a bit. Putting Fernandes at the right is nullifying his arsenal of quality predominantly his long shot ability. This guy can unlock a tuff game with a shot from 30 yards. I would probably put Pogba more back in a 4-2-3-1 formation with license to move forward while having one true DM to break up play in the middle of the park. Fernandes drops back a lot too so I can see him and Pogba constantly switching positions with each other throughout a game.

Keep Fernandes in the middle. You put him out wide you take him out the game.

As I mentioned in the post above Fernandes has an engine on him he tracks back a lot and has no problem helping to win the ball back. He is leader as well for a guy so young and has been carrying a heavy load at a big club.

As a right sided cam I think you take him out of the game. As an 8 I can see maybe but he will always push up a lot he likes to get close to goal as shown this season with his 22 goals. I would not be surprised to see him hit 30 goals and he is not even a striker which makes that absurd. I see Pogba playing as an 8. and Fernandes as a 10 as we have seen Pogba play there before. Though he would have a license to move up and interchange with Fernandes.

1 goal and 2 assists today. He is a 1 man show.

I think this is the big question mark with him.

I managed to catch parts of the game yesterday and thought he looked good. But it would be very interesting to know how flexible he is and smart tactically. He certainly has ability to play both as an 8 and as a 10, but does he have the know how?

In my opinion we do need a creative midfielder. Today we are very reliant on Paul Pogba. We have more options that can do a defensive job in midfield; Matic, Herrera and McT. Fred was also considered a type of defensive midfielder (both in Ukraine and in Brazil). Heck, Pogba was great for France in a deeper position (but that is obviously a waste). But if Pogba is missing (or man-marked) we really lack creativity.

It would be very interesting to bring in a player that could not only replace Pogba, but also play next to him. I’m sure Fernandes could be an interesting option to Pogba. I also think he could be a good option to Lingard if we continue playing the diamond. But could he be an effective option next to Paul Pogba? If yes, he is probably a no-brainer considering price, age and quality. We obviously have a good scouting network in Portugal too.

Player of the year in Portugal last season is good. His numbers this season is insane considering the team he is playing for. Sporting Lisboa have scored 27 goals from open play this season. Bruno Fernandes have scored 8 and assisted 8 of those. 16 out of 27. Close to 60 % of the team goals from open play. Very few players match that. And he is not even a striker, but a player with significant responsibility on his own half.

Furthermore, it does not appear to be a fluke or a one-season-wonder when you look at the underlying statistics and compare it to previous year. Improvement and development, yes. But it is definitley not a statistical outlier that can be explained by luck, unlike Depay for PSV in 15.

The biggest question is if he can play next to Pogba. A lot of players end up a little bit deeper when they arrive at a better team. But it require a bit of a tactical know-how!

I agree with all of this and I think if him and Pogba played together they would have license to interchange positions but if Ole was to get the best out of Bruno they make sure he has license to get in the box and be higher up the pitch. Also obviously you see his ability to rip one from deep and the good thing about that is not only does he score a lot of those but like the video I recently posted above shows those shots from distance with the power and velocity he hits them creates chances and havoc in and around the box when the keeper spills the balls. Numerous Sporting goals were scored because of that. Especially against those teams who sit back and those games where it is frustrating to make chances no other player at United has the ability to score from distance like Bruno Fernandes does also not to mention his new found ability to score free kicks. He has literally carried Sporting on his back and another intangible quality is that he is a leader and he shows it on the pitch even at a young age he is very vocal on the field and pushes his teammates forward.

I agree. But this could imply a bit less freedom for Pogba and more defensive awareness. Can Pogba handle that? I’m not sure, but I would think so. He was brilliant for France, but that was not a very demanding role from a tactical point of view. On the other side, it would give Pogba more time and space as the oponent would have to be more careful focusing too much on him.

I think this could be part of what Ole would like to do. I imagine he wants to build a team that can push higher up the pitch and control the game on the ball in the oposition half. To do this I do believe we need one more creative player through the middle.

I also think we need four defenders that are good on the ball and have pace, allowing us to play with a high defensive line. Young needs to be replaced. Chris Smalling is a great defender in a high defensive line, but you can not expect him to do anything constructive on the ball and that would hurt our general play.

So yeah, a type of player like Bruno Fernandes could be one of three players crucial to how Solskjaer wants to play. A right winger is also needed, but I’m not sure it is as crucial to our general play as a CM, a CB and a RB.

These lads had the right idea more than a year ago. Was going through the old Bruno Fernandes thread to see if posters actually predicted how good Bruno would be.

 

[CG1010]

Already talking about scoring another 5 goals against LASK. This man has no mercy.

I love how Pogba and Bruno are looking after our three young forwards and spurring them on!

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

Also like I said before best Sporting player in the 21st century. The man is unreal anything under 65M is basically peanuts for this kid,

Like I said before best player in the past 15 years to wear the green and white.

Absolute god in Lisbon right now.

he is much more an attacking player then Pogba. Better shot better goal instincts and know how of where the ball will fall and good vision.

Pogba has better vision passing reading of the game and technical ability and the ability to dictate a game. Ill tell you what though there is not a player at United that can strike a ball as sweet as Bruno.

Ahem, Mason Greenwood, ahem.

In the past 15 years absolutely. Since Jardel I have not heard or seen a player dominate and carry a team as much as Bruno Fernandes has this season. 101 games and 42 goals....as a midfielder.

I've been watching his YouTube highlights a bit over the last two days after we've been linked with him. Wanted to watch the game tonight to see him and Felix but had visitors so couldn't in the end.

But based off YouTube scouting and what Sporting fans have been saying on here, i think he looks like a potentially very good buy for us. He's going to get a lot of recognition for his goals, and his stats are unbelievable, but i like how hard working he is off the ball, along with being very clever on the ball.

I think he'd be a big upgrade on Herrera and would work well next to Pogba, but we could revolutionise our midfield with hard working but quality players if we had to replace Pogba with him. Throw in payers like Ndombele alongside him and i think you'll finally start to see a very well balanced midfield that has energy and quality. If he plays alongside Pogba then i think a dedicated holding midfielder would be needed, but still somebody with tenacity and good work ethic on the pitch.

If you want an idea of his technical ability as well.

That's how we got the penalty. He's been practicing.

Problem is, Pogba has shown that he can't consistently be the focal point of our midfield. We need somebody that will step up on his off days or pose enough threat to give Pogba more freedom to operate.

@SportingCP96 nice work here. You must be so happy watching him light it up right now.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Buy of the season! I mean, he didn't even have the greatest of games yesterday, but the signs of a top player is still contributing, which is what he did, bagging a goal and an assist.

 

[Utdstar01]

I also caught him just talking to Martial/Pogba when a wayward pass didn't work. They were both walking away from him but he kept talking

Also in the passes that go off, if you see his reaction, he looks mega pissed. Not like hands on hips embarrassed look, but an angry waving of arms looking angry oneself. He's the type of guy that will try that much more if a pass doesn't work out. He won't go into his own shell.

Pretty sure he was pissed because he had played the pass and nobody made the run. It happened very often in the first half hour. Strikers were very stationary.

 

[Sylar]

His 'worst' game and he still scores and assists

 

[barros]

Can’t wait for next season, looks like Man United is back again.

 

[spontaneus1]

His stats are stupid.

23 G and 21 A this season.
32 G and 18 A last season.
16 G and 20 A in 17/18.

Over those 3 seasons he has 22 G and A in 22 EL games so it's not just because the Liga NOS is worse than the PL that he's putting those stats up, I genuinely think he's just that good.

I'm beginning to think he will keep it up, and his stats in Liga Nos where actually below his ability and that's why he has had no problem with the step up in quality of the league. It's possible that being in such a poor Sporting side was making him look worse than he actually is.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

@SportingCP96 got to give you credit here fella you really did call it with Bruno and not just on his ability (you watched him week in week out for years so of course you know he's class) but mainly with how you predicted how we would fit him in our system and alongside Pogba. What an exceptional player and makes me more and more excited to tune into the next game which is ultimately what it's all about for me.