Bruno Fernandes: Your questions answered

But how much do you know about our new star?

 

At just 25, he's already had a successful and eventful career, so we've prepared this handy briefing to bring you up to speed with the midfielder's story so far.

 

Fill in your knowledge of United’s new Portuguese playmaker below…

 

Bruno Fernandes is 25 years old – his birthday is 8 September 1994.

Bruno will wear the no.18 shirt for Manchester United, inheriting the shirt recently vacated by Ashley Young. The Portugal midfielder revealed the reasons why he chose that number included his admiration for Paul Scholes, who also wore no.18 for the Reds. Bruno wore the no.8 shirt at Sporting.

Bruno is an all-out attacking midfielder, a right-footed playmaker who is full of direct running and someone who likes to take on defenders. He is also a fine striker of a free-kick and likes to shoot from distance – nine of his Primeira Liga goals for Sporting came from outside the box. His movement off the ball is also key – at Sporting, he was often given a remit to roam around the attacking areas of the pitch, or dropping deep to pick up possession. He can also whip in a dangerous cross from the right. As well as operating in the no.10 role – his most common position at Sporting – he can also operate in a deeper central midfield role, or as a second striker. 

 

Bruno has scored a remarkable 63 goals in 137 games as an attacking midfielder for Sporting in the last two-and-a-half-seasons. He is also responsible for 52 assists in that spell – contributing to him being named the Portuguese Player of the Year two years running.

The good news is yes. Although Bruno played in the Europa League for Sporting this season – and is second-top goalscorer in the tournament this season with five goals (and three assists) in five games, he is now eligible to play for United in the knockout stages. Rule changes introduced by UEFA in 2018 abolished the previous regulations around ‘cup-tied’ players, which precluded players from appearing for two different clubs in the same Champions League or Europa League season. United face Club Brugge in the last 32, while Bruno’s former club Sporting take on Istanbul Basaksehir.

 

Yes, as illustrated in Bruno's first interview as a United player!  

Bruno moved to Italy just before his 18th birthday, to sign for Serie B club Novara, before progressing to Serie A where he played first for Udinese and then Sampdoria. He returned home to Portugal in 2017 when he signed for Sporting, where former United star Nani was the captain.

 

Bruno has 19 senior caps for Portugal, where he plays alongside United legend Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s scored two international goals and was part of the team which won UEFA’s first ever Nations League tournament.   

 

Prior to signing for United, Bruno had made one senior appearance in England, playing for Sporting against Arsenal in their 0-0 draw in the Emirates in the Europa League in November 2018. He did, however, play 68 minutes for Portugal Under-21s against England Under-21s at Turf Moor back in 2014. The game, which England won 3-1, also featured Bernardo Silva, Reuben Neves, Joao Cancelo and former Academy graduate Michael Keane.