How Bruno Fernandes has transformed Manchester United into Premier League title contenders

Manchester United had been jeered off by their very own supporters within the final league match they performed with out Bruno Fernandes – a depressing 2-0 dwelling defeat to Burnley again in January.

That demoralising end result noticed them fifth within the Premier League desk, six factors off Chelsea in fourth and a staggering 30 behind champions-elect Liverpool, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fearing for his job.

However United signed the Portuguese playmaker from Sporting Lisbon every week after that Burnley debacle and his impact on the workforce has been completely transformative.

Bruno Fernandes has been excellent for Manchester United since his arrival in January

The Portuguese star has reworked United from strugglers into real title challengers

United supervisor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates considered one of his two objectives within the win over Leeds 

Having elevated themselves to a third-place end final season, United now discover themselves in second and simply two factors behind leaders Liverpool.

Fernandes has helped Solskjaer’s workforce appear to be real title challengers for the primary time in a number of years and the stats lay naked simply how vital he has turn out to be.

Since £47million man Fernandes made his debut for United in a colorless goalless draw in opposition to Wolves on February 1, no participant within the Premier League has been concerned in additional objectives or contributed extra assists.

Solely Liverpool ahead Mohamed Salah has scored extra Premier League objectives and had extra photographs than Fernandes, whereas solely Manchester Metropolis’s Kevin De Bruyne and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish have created extra possibilities.

Fernandes, 26, has scored 26 objectives and contributed 17 assists in 45 matches for United throughout all competitions since he arrived in January.

Taking solely Premier League video games into consideration, he has scored 18 occasions and created one other 14. His mixed tally of 32 purpose involvements places him properly away from Salah’s 27 and Harry Kane’s 26 in the identical time span.

Fernandes celebrates his purpose in opposition to Leicester Metropolis on Boxing Day with a doff of the cap

The sight of Fernandes laying waste to opposition defences has turn out to be a well-recognized one 

Since his debut on February 1, Fernandes has been concerned in additional objectives than some other participant within the Premier League – with 18 objectives and 14 assists throughout that point

Salah has scored 20 league objectives since early February however is taken into account an out-and-out ahead, making Fernandes’ 18 all of the extra spectacular.

The Portuguese star has 14 league assists in that point, two greater than De Bruyne with Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (11) and Tottenham’s Kane (10) in his wake.

Fernandes has shortly established himself as United’s essential penalty taker and so it is a caveat to his scoring feats that eight of his 18 within the Premier League have been from 12 yards.

Nonetheless, that makes him the league’s main penalty scorer in that point, forward of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, who has transformed seven.

However greater than something, Fernandes has revitalised a United aspect that was struggling to create sufficient possibilities previous to his arrival.

Solely Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored extra objectives than Fernandes throughout this time

Manchester Metropolis’s Kevin De Bruyne is among the few to have created extra possibilities 

Solely Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has fired extra photographs since Fernandes arrived within the league

When it comes to possibilities created, solely Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish exceed Fernandes

That is demonstrated by the very fact he has arrange 77 possibilities since his debut, second solely to De Bruyne (93) and Grealish (84). The 90 photographs Fernandes has fired in league video games for United is second solely to Salah’s 101 in that point.

His significance to United and their probabilities of profitable the primary silverware of Solskjaer’s reign is apparent to see. 

Certainly, the United boss might should handle his recreation time within the new 12 months given Fernandes has began all however considered one of their league video games and 5 of six Champions League group matches.

He accomplished one other full 90 minutes in United’s 1-0 win over Wolves on Tuesday evening, a end result that reduces the hole to Liverpool forward of their journey to Newcastle United on Wednesday.

It is now United’s job to maintain up the stress as they host Aston Villa on Friday night however their outlook originally of 2021 is inestimably brighter than it was 12 months in the past.

Fernandes has proved himself a dependable penalty taker – with eight scored within the league alone