If reports are to be believed, Manchester United are on the brink of signing Bruno Fernandes.

The midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer but the club couldn’t get the deal done.

But now, it seems it’s only a matter of time before United announce the £50 million signing from Sporting Lisbon.

The 25-year-old comes with a huge reputation having scored 62 goals in his two-and-a-half seasons in Portugal.

But how will he fit into this United side?

Well, luckily for those of you wondering, totalfootballanalysis.com took a look last season.

It’s clear that Fernandes will either play in the central midfield position or in the No. 10 role.

The analysis points out how Fernandes is “extremely effective between the lines with quick, creative passing and clever positioning.”

The below image shows how he can occupy the space between the opposition’s midfield and defence, where he can cause problems.

That leads us on to his passing ability.

United lack creativity in their midfielder, epitomised by the fact Jesse Lingard failed to register a single assist in the Premier League last season.

Analysis suggests that Macus Rashford and Anthony Martial would benefit from Fernandes’ passing range. With United playing their counter-attacking game, the Portuguese has the ability to quickly turn defence into attack with a decisive pass into the path of a speedy forward. Other than Paul Pogba, who simply can’t be relied upon, there is no midfielder capable of playing those passes regularly.

Then there’s his goalscoring.

Fernandes is more than happy to run behind the forwards and attempt to get on the end of through balls.

He’s also mastered the late run into the box.

With Rashford and Martial’s pace allowing them to get down the wings to the byline, Fernandes will be able to capitalise on any cut-backs.

It all sounds very exciting, doesn’t it?

In conclusion, the analysis states: “Bruno Fernandes is an extremely talented attacking midfielder and the 25-year-old looks set for a very bright future. Manchester United should fight hard for his signature as he would be a huge upgrade to their midfield options.

“At around £50m, Fernandes represents good value for money too. He would improve their possession play, help the likes of Rashford to shine and prove a good replacement for Pogba if he was to leave. If not, those two together in midfield would make United a vastly improved side going forward.”