With the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, it’s an exciting time to be a Manchester United fan, with the club seemingly going in the right direction.
However, the feeling among the United faithful is that they want the season to be over already, so that a fresh start can get underway.
Erik ten Hag’s first term at the club was a success having won the Carabao Cup, but his second campaign has been underwhelming, with the Champions League looking out of reach as each game passes.
Inconsistencies have been apparent both on and off the field, but there is still one individual who has continuously performed to the United standard ever since his debut in 2020.
What Man United paid for Bruno Fernandes
In January 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Bruno Fernandes for a fee of £46.6m from Sporting Lisbon, where he made a name for himself as one of the best-attacking midfielders in Europe.
The Portuguese maestro had been on fire for the Liga Portugal side prior to his move to England, picking up an incredible 113 goal contributions in just 137 matches, with Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig describing the midfielder as “ridiculous.”
Fernandes’ impact on the United side was instant, as in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign, the then-number 18 scored eight goals and provided seven assists in just 14 Premier League matches.
In his first full season, the Portugal international continued to cement himself as one of the best players in England, netting 18 goals and registering 11 assists, his best return to date.
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Bruno Fernandes’ value in 2024
Today, Fernandes is still performing at United, but he also now wears the captain’s armband, which underlines how important he is to Ten Hag’s side.
This season, the number eight has picked up 16 goal contributions in 36 matches across all competitions and taken on the role of being the main creator for United, having the most key passes per game in the Premier League, three, and creating the joint-third most big chances, 13.
#1 Bruno Fernandes
3
#2 Pascal Gross
3
#3 Martin Odegaard
2.9
#4 James Maddison
2.7
#5 Saka, Alexander-Arnold, Trippier
2.5
Stats via Sofascore.
However, what’s most impressive above all is Fernandes’ reliability and availability, which have seen him never miss a game for United due to injury since joining, an extremely impressive statistic.
All of the above combined makes him a world-class player, hence why he is one of United’s most valuable players in the squad and double the estimated worth of Lisandro Martinez.
Despite being valued highly, Fernandes is absolutely priceless to Man United and most definitely irreplaceable at this current moment. Indeed, CIES Football Observatory values him at £68m, behind Marcus Rashford but ahead of plenty of other names.
Hojlund, Rashford, Garnacho
£86m
Fernandes
£68m
Antony, Dalot, Onana
£51m
Scott McTominay
£43m
Martinez
£34m
In a squad full of unreliable players both due to underperformance and injuries, the 29-year-old is a constant who will always be a huge threat, regardless of whether he’s playing extremely well or not.
Over his time in Manchester, the attacking midfielder has made 134 goal contributions in 221 matches, which is an insane return, and the Red Devils truly struck gold with the signing of the magnifico.
