Fred Manchester United
Fred says the arrival of Bruno Fernandes was pivotal in Manchester United turning around their season. Bruno Fernandes, 25, signed in a £68million deal from Sporting Lisbon in January and United are unbeaten in the nine matches he has played; a streak that featured 2-0 wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as 5-0 demolitions of Club Brugge and LASK Linz in the Europa League. United sources insisted before Fernandes’s debut the Portuguese had caused a buzz at the club, and United went into the UK lockdown fifth in the Premier League, in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and all but in the last eight of the Europa League.
Fred said “Bruno Fernandes is a very important player, he arrived and gave an ‘up’ in our squad. Fernandes has scored three goals and assisted four in eight starts.We were going through a very good phase. We were in a growing phase. We were doing very well in the Premier League, very well in the Europa League. We would have a chance to be champions (of the Europa League) before the stop. But I believe that our group got together a lot [more] at the end, we started helping each other with a different view of the game and we grew up on the pitch. We started to get better together, and Bruno Fernandes’ arrival was important for us, giving a calm change to our midfield. But we must also give credit to Ole and to our entire group, because we were on a very, very good rise. He is a player with a lot of ambition but I believe that every player who plays for Manchester United needs to have this ambition to want to win, to be victorious, because it is a gigantic club. We always have to think about the titles, the victories. He arrived very well, helped us a lot and, for sure, he is an inspiration to be followed. I’m sure he will still grow a lot within United.”
Fred has been an ever-present in the United midfield since October and started the last 22 Premier League matches, garnering plaudits for his improved form. In February, the Brazilian criticized United’s ‘vanity’ and said they had ‘a lot of problems’ but has noticed a change in mood since Fernandes came in.
