Impact Bruno Fernandes has had on Manchester United is unbelievable, proclaims Thomas Tuchel
Bruno Fernandes has scored 34 goals in 60 appearances for Manchester United
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Ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Manchester United, Thomas Tuchel has praised the impact that Bruno Fernandes has had on the Red Devils, with him calling the midfielder one of the best. The former Sporting Lisbon star has been a superhit for the Old Trafford side with 34 goals in 60 games.
When Bruno Fernandes signed for Manchester United, few expected the Portuguese midfielder to thrive in the Premier League. That is especially after his struggles to do it for either Udinese or Sampdoria in the Serie A but the 26-year-old has transformed the Red Devils. Few players have had the impact he has had on the club, with Fernandes contributing to 55 goals in just 60 appearances. That includes 41 goal contributions in 39 Premier League games with him on par to break numerous club records
It has played a direct correlation to Manchester United’s rise up the Premier League table with them amongst the favourites to challenge Manchester City to the title. That is despite+ City’s thirteen point lead and it has even seen Thomas Tuchel lavish Fernandes with praise. The Chelsea boss, ahead of his side’s game against Manchester United, revealed that to come from Portugal to England and have “this kind of impact” shows the kind of player that the midfielder is.
"Fernandes was a big personality for Sporting and an effective goalscorer and an effective guy to make the other players around more dangerous. To come from Portugal, from a competitive team - a big club but not from the strongest league - and step to one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and the strongest league in Europe, and to have this kind of impact, I have nothing but the biggest respect for this guy,” Tuchel said, reported the BBC.
"He has a huge, huge impact and to have this as a single person in football, you must be absolutely top level because this is almost impossible. The impact he has had is indescribable and unbelievable.”
The former PSG coach also revealed that the Ligue 1 giants tried their very best to sign Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon just before Manchester United made the move. Tuchel added that the Parisians heavily scouted the 26-year-old and “fought hard” to try and convince him to sign for the French club but they couldn’t make it happen.
"We tried to make it happen. It was when we just arrived. My first sporting director in Paris knew very well. We watched more and more games about him. We fought hard to have a connection to him and to bring him to our team. We tried and he went another way. It is bad for us that we have to play against him [on Sunday]," he added.
