At what point do we start to talk about Bruno Fernandes as one of the greatest signings of the Premier League era?
The Portuguese midfielder has transformed Manchester United following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
The £47 million United paid Sporting for Bruno’s services now looks an absolute steal.
Fernandes scored eight goals and registered the same number of assists during the second half of last season.
And in 17 Premier League appearances so far this term, the 26-year-old has netted 11 goals and provided eight assists for his teammates.
Although we’d never know for certain, it’s fairly safe to assume that United would not be sitting top of the league without their talismanic midfielder.
Not only he is an outstanding footballer, but he’s also a leader on the pitch. Man Utd hit gold when they signed him 12 months ago.
On Friday, Bruno set a new Premier League record when he became the first player in history to win the Player of the Month award four times in one year.
He first sealed the individual accolade in February 2020 before winning it for the second time in June.
Now he’s won the award in back-to-back months, adding December’s Player of the Month trophy to November’s.
Remarkably, Fernandes has now won the award as many times as the following players: Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Alan Shearer and Jamie Vardy.
That is astounding. Those are some of the most legendary names in Premier League history and Bruno has now equalled them, despite the fact he only arrived in England a year ago.
Gareth Bale, Sadio Mane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mohamed Salah, Robbie Keane and Dwight Yorke (all with three wins) are among the high-profile players that Bruno has now surpassed.
In fact, only five players have now won the Premier League Player of the Month award more times than Man Utd’s No. 18.
They are…
Wayne Rooney (Five wins)
Robin van Persie (Five wins)
Harry Kane (Six wins)
Steven Gerrard (Six wins)
Sergio Aguero (Seven wins)
At the rate he’s currently going, Fernandes will surpass all five players by the end of 2021.
Remarkable.