Sir Jim Ratcliffe said it best on Monday afternoon, when speaking about Manchester United’s talismanic skipper: “The captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno [Fernandes]. Without him it would be really tough.”
Those comments from the INEOS chief came just a day on from the 30-year-old’s stunning opener in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, the playmaker curling home a delightful free-kick to mark his 25th goal involvement of the season.
The Portuguese genius certainly has his critics – Roy Keane among them – but it really does beg the question as to where this team, this club, would be without his match-saving moments.
Now up to 170 goals and assists in just 275 games for the club in all competitions, the former Sporting CP star stands head and shoulders above the rest as the finest signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Yes, there may be question marks over his credentials as a captain – a point Amorim noted when reflecting on Fernandes’ “frustration” toward his teammates – yet do the positives not majorly outweigh any negatives? Did Keane, for instance – a man who racked up 11 red cards during his legendary stint at Old Trafford – not make plenty of mistakes of his own?
The debate over United’s number eight will continue to rage on, but what his signing unequivocally represents is a real success story in the transfer market. It may be early days, but perhaps Ratcliffe and co have already landed another ‘bargain’….
Man Utd's mixed signings since Fernandes
Signed from Sporting on an initial £46m deal back in January 2020, Fernandes has been a stark anomaly in an otherwise wretched period of recruitment for the Old Trafford side.
£73m was forked out on Jadon Sancho. £70m was splashed out on Casemiro. A further £86m was spent on Antony. All players name-checked by Ratcliffe as ‘inherited’ costs from the previous regime.
Attempting to find a success story since Fernandes walked in the door truly is a difficult task. No senior player signed in the summer 2020 window – excluding Amad – remains at the club. The same is also true of the summer of 2021, with only third-choice goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, still on the books.
As for the summer of 2022, the aforementioned Antony is now on loan at Real Betis, Lisandro Martinez has been struck down by another significant injury, while Casemiro looks set to be sold, should a suitable buyer be found. Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, is set to leave at the expiry of his contract this summer, while Tyrell Malacia is now out on loan at Feyenoord.
Heading into 2023, the three marquee additions were Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund – both of whom were also mentioned by Ratcliffe – and Mason Mount, the latter of whom has scored just once and registered only one assist for the Red Devils to date.
It has perhaps taken until the arrival of the INEOS regime for a sensible and successful signing to have been acquired, with £13m man Noussair Mazraoui continuing to shine…
Man Utd's 'bargain of the year'
In retrospect, last summer’s transfer dealings were far from perfect, yet there have been signs of life of late from those who walked in the door during the final days of Erik ten Hag.
Indeed, Matthijs de Ligt has begun to find his feet after looking particularly “faultless” against Real Sociedad, as per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, while Manuel Ugarte appears a perfect fit for Amorim with the pair having worked together at Sporting.
Leny Yoro, meanwhile, remains a bright hope for the future, while Joshua Zirkzee has also shown flashes of his quality, after scoring the opener in San Sebastian last week.
Player
Games
Goals
Assists
Bruno Fernandes
42
12
13
Amad
36
9
7
Alejandro Garnacho
43
8
7
Rasmus Hojlund
37
7
1
Marcus Rashford
24
7
3
Joshua Zirkzee
42
6
2
Christian Eriksen
25
4
4
Casemiro
30
3
0
Harry Maguire
28
3
0
The greatest success story lies in Mazraoui, however, with the Moroccan sensation – who arrived from Bayern Munich, alongside De Ligt – looking like the “bargain of the year”, according to journalist Liam Canning.
As Canning also noted, the 27-year-old is particularly useful as he is “so intelligent and versatile”, with Amorim describing him as the “future of our team”.
“He understands the game. He knows how to attack, he’s very technical, he’s very good defensively and he’s very good one-on-one. He’s a modern player. I think he’s the future of our team. When you think about him, you think we need more players like Nous that can control the tempo, they are really, really good and comfortable with the ball. So, Nous, I’m really happy with him.”
That quality was on show against the Gunners last time out, with the flexible full-back coming close to getting on the scoresheet, only to see his effort expertly saved by the feet of David Raya.
Operating in a right wing-back berth – having played as part of the back three in Thursday’s Europa League clash – Mazraoui was heavily involved in United’s late charge against Mikel Arteta’s side, having produced a brilliant turn and pull-back for Fernandes at the death.
As Amorim alluded to, Mazraoui is such an asset both in and out of possession, showcased by the fact that he ranks among the top 5% of full-backs in the division for tackles made per 90, as well as in the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
With the Netherlands-born star’s value having soared to £36m, as per Football Transfers – almost three times more than what INEOS forked out for him – it does look as if he bucks the trend in relation to post-Ferguson and post-Fernandes signings.
Hopefully, such an astute signing is a sign of things to come with Ratcliffe and co at the helm.
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