Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is the Sir Matt Busby Player of the year for 2023/2024. This is the third time the Portuguese will be winning the award with only two men picking up the award more often than him, Cristiano Ronaldo and David De Gea (both four). Despite Manchester united horrific form this season, Bruno Fernandes is one of the only few players who stood out due to their performance.
Though it might be surprising to see some united fans actually believe Bruno Fernandes is not good enough to play for the team, in actuality, it wouldn’t be far fetch to say he is the best Manchester United player since the past decade. This timeframe has seen many world renowned players like Zlatan Ibramovic, Edison Cavani, Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and many more played in the red shirt, none of them has been as instrumental to the team as him.
Here are few reasons why Bruno Fernandes has been the best Manchester United player since the past decade;
Instant Transformation
When Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United in January 2020, they were in shambles. They had failed to score in three consecutive games, they had no goal in back to back home games, and they were 7th in the league with no hope of making top 4. After signing for the team, he played 3 days later having an instant impart. Though the game finished with a goalless draw, he was so influential he won the man of the match.
After that, he went on with his impressive form making an assist in his second game against Chelsea. From his debut game, Manchester United went from their abysmal form to going 16 straight games unbeaten in all competition. And this form continued until the end of the season with Manchester United finishing third in the league and Bruno Fernandes scoring 12 goals and 8 assists in all competition despite playing half of the season. This also continued till the end of the year which is why he end up winning four Premier Player of the Month award, making him the only player to win it four times in a single calendar year in Premier league history.
In the subsequent seasons, he continued racking up great numbers and end up “carrying” the team for majority of the time.
Goal Contributions
Despite being a midfielder, his goal contributions rival a lot of attacker which saw him breaking Frank Lampard’s record for most goals scored by a midfielder in a single season. In just five seasons, he scored 79 goals and 65 assists averaging 29 G/A every season. Though some might argue that he is also the team penalty taker, but of the 79 goals, only 19 were scored from the spot leaving a whooping 60 goals scored by a midfielder in just 5 seasons.
Chances creation
Since joining, Bruno Fernandes has always top the charts for chances created in the premier league every season. This is is a league that has impressive passers like Kevin Debruyne, Alexander Arnold, Paul Pogba, Martin Odegaard and James Madison yet his incredible passing ability had him edging these players every season. His passing range include through balls, crossing, line breaking passes and picking up runs
Work Rate and Dedication
Since joining Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has made the most appearance for the club despite his work rate all over the pitch. In the 2022/2023, Bruno Fernandes has the most appearance in Europe top five league (70 games). Among united players, he leads the line in distance covered and press, tracks back continuously, cheer up his teammates and always the first to accept the blame if anything goes wrong. This is a near perfect player in both on field and off field attitudes which is why he was made captain of the team.
Bruno Fernandes A Rare Gem
Since joining the team, Bruno Fernandes has fortified his position as the most important part of the team so much that the team looks lost whenever he is not on the pitch. As a player who rarely get injured, he has given his all, all through his time at his club.
Though in the past decade, Manchester United had signed a lot of world renowned players, none has been as effective as Bruno Fernandes for the team. Although a lot can be said about his moaning attitude which can still be argued to be due to his excessive zeal to win game, but no one should question his footballing ability and work ethic.
