Stats suggest Bruno Fernandes has replaced De Bruyne as the Premier League's top performer
In just a few months, Bruno Fernandes is already the most significant deal made by Manchester United in the seven years that have elapsed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Not since Virgil van Dijk's transfer from Southampton to Liverpool in January 2018 has the Premier League witnessed a new signing have a transformative effect as big as Fernandes at United. And to think there was a point in January when a deal for Fernandes was dead in the water.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side moved to within two points of fourth place Chelsea on Tuesday night with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Brighton, with Fernandes playing another lead role for the Red Devils. The 25-year-old scored twice, one from the outside of the box and another rounding off a devastating counter-attack reminiscent of the football played under Ferguson.
Fernandes has impressively played a direct hand in eight goals in his first eight league appearances for United - only Robin van Persie has had more (9) at this stage of his Premier League career with the club. Moreover, Fernandes has already scored as many Premier League goals in 2019/20 as the likes of Bernado Silva and Arsenal club-record signing Nicolas Pepe (5). United duo Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard only have six league goals between them since the beginning of last season. Their stock has only plummeted further following Fernandes' displays and both could leave United in the summer.
Comparisons to United legend Eric Cantona should of course be taken with a pinch of salt after just a few months at the club but Fernandes' impact can not be understated. In such a short space of time Fernandes has already showcased his qualities with the ball but his tenacity and desire to win has notably also improved those around him. "He [Fernandes] has brought that winning mentality with him, that 99% is not good enough - it has to be 100%," Solskjaer told BBC Sport after Tuesday's win.
United's hopes of finishing in the top four looked over after losing 2-0 at home to Burnley in their final match before Fernandes signed but they haven't lost since and Solskjaer is now even talking about stealing third. Across all competitions, United are now unbeaten in 15 matches; only Bayern Munich (25 games) are currently on a longer streak of all sides in Europe's top five leagues. In that time they have scored 38 goals and kept 11 clean sheets.
Without the restriction of minimum appearances, Fernandes is now the highest WhoScored rated player in the Premier League (7.91 rating), above Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne (7.88). While few would argue against De Bruyne being the league's best player over the course of the season, it just highlights further how well Fernandes has performed since arriving. In fact, Fernandes is yet to record a WhoScored rating less than 7.00 in any Premier League appearance. Prior to Fernandes' arrival, United were the seventh highest WhoScored rated team in the division (6.74). Since signing the Portugal international they rank first (7.02).
While United still have a long way to go before bridging the current 34-point gap between themselves and Liverpool, what will concern their rivals most is they are only going to get better. United have come forward so far in 2020 and Paul Pogba and Fernandes have only started together twice in the Premier League. They could potentially be the league's best midfield partnership and the early signs are hugely encouraging. Pogba has been crying out for someone that shares the same vision for the game and he finally has the perfect foil in Fernandes. Pogba set up Fernandes for his first against Brighton and there are even suggestions the Frenchman could sign a new deal at Old Trafford.
Even though fifth may be good enough to secure Champions League football for next season, United do not want to leave anything to chance and have Leicester in their sights for third. Having overcome their most difficult remaining fixtures, United have a very favourable run-in from here. In the build up to facing Leicester on the final day of the season, in what could be a shoot-out for Champions League football, the highest current position of their opponents in their next five league games is 11th-place Crystal Palace. Solskajer believes United can finish the season unbeaten and with Fernandes in his current form it is certainly on the cards. For United supporters, meanwhile, they will wonder what could have been this season had they signed Fernandes last summer when talks first took place.
