On The Ball | Bruno Fernandes hits the ground running as Manchester United finally fill No 10 hole
- January signing has enjoyed a fine start to his Manchester United career and grabbed a first goal in the win on Sunday
- Protracted pursuit pays off in fine run of form
Before his new signing Bruno Fernandes kicked a ball for Manchester United, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer compared him to Paul Scholes, arguably United’s greatest ever-attacking midfielder and one who played 718 times for the club.
Fernandes, signed after protracted negotiations at the end of the January transfer window, has pulled on a United shirt only four times, but the versatile Portuguese is the best thing about the club right now.
After an awful January when United lost four games, they’ve won four and drawn two of the six games since their last defeat. After an encouraging debut, Fernandes started well and has got better with each game. He made a difference to United with a 10-minute cameo in Bruges last week and on Sunday he scored his United first goal, a penalty taken with such confidence that you forget that United missing penalties was an early season talking point.
The Portuguese international set up the other two in a 3-0 win against Watford. “Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!” sing the fans, not the most original song but one which makes him know how they feel.
It’s by no means a given. From Juan Sebastian Veron to Shinji Kagawa, Angel di Maria to Alexis Sanchez, all arrived with exalted reputations for their assists, goals and world-class creativity, and all left Old Trafford having mostly underwhelmed.