Five times Bruno Fernandes owned the stage

Another grand stage awaits the United skipper, in a calendar year which has seen him deliver week after week of stunning form, culminating in that magical day at Wembley in May when we beat Manchester City to claim our 13th FA Cup success.

Fittingly, today is also the day United's new home kit for 2024/25 is released. Based around the tag line 'Own the Stage', it's all about embracing high performance on the pitch; being the best in your chosen field, no matter what's going on around you.

Bruno has certainly done that since joining United in January 2020. So to celebrate the release of our new kit, and to pay tribute to our skipper ahead of his big match at the Euros, here we look back at five times that Bruno truly owned the stage in the deep, rich red of Manchester United.

ONE: UNITED 3 WATFORD 0
(Premier League, 23 February 2020)

Some players take to Old Trafford instantly, and others, unfortunately, shrink beneath history and tradition's weight and pressure. Happily, Bruno made it abundantly clear from minute one that he belonged in the former category.

His debut came in a 0-0 draw against Wolves but, even in that stalemate, he looked like a leader; someone who would embrace the expectation heaped upon every United player.

In his second home match, he won a penalty when brought down by Watford's Ben Foster and immediately assumed responsibility for the spot-kick. Happy to unfurl that trademark jump in his run-up, he sent Foster the wrong way and ran off towards J Stand, looking every inch the United hero he would swiftly become.

TWO: WEST HAM 1 UNITED 3
(Premier League, 5 December 2020)

The following season, the Reds found themselves lucky to be only 1-0 down at the London Stadium. In a packed, Covid-impacted season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had taken the brave decision to allow Fernandes and Marcus Rashford a well-earned rest but, come the interval, the Norwegian was forced to introduce the pair after a dire first period.

What came next was clinical, purified evidence of Fernandes's centrality to Manchester United's hopes of success: incredibly, in just 45 minutes, he set a then Premier League record for chances created from open play (eight), inspiring three goals in 13 minutes.

He finished the season with a magnificent 28 goals and 17 assists, helping United to finish second in the Premier League and reach the Europa League final.

THREE: UNITED 5 LEEDS 1
(Premier League, 14 August 2021)

The first day of the season. The first time a full crowd had been present at Old Trafford for 17 months, due to Covid. A first league meeting with arch-enemies Leeds United for more than 17 years. Talk about pressure...

But how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United delivered, led by our inspirator-in-chief Bruno, who blasted a brilliant hat-trick on a day where the Theatre of Dreams was salivating for a long-overdue show. Fernandes, more than anyone, delivered with personality and passion.

FOUR: UNITED 4 LIVERPOOL 3
(Emirates FA Cup quarter-final, 17 March 2024)

Last season's FA Cup quarter-final has already passed into the realm of legend, and there were many heroes on a day where United refused to accept defeat against a Liverpool team then tipped for the quadruple.

Amad claimed the headlines but Bruno – who ended up at centre-back for the game's final stages! – was a United captain personified. Bryan Robson would have been proud of this performance: Fernandes was an attacking colossus in the first half of the contest, and an indefatigable, injury-hobbled warrior in extra-time.

FIVE: CITY 1 UNITED 2
(Emirates FA Cup final, 25 May 2024)

"You're only as good as your last game," is one of football's many dubious cliches. But in the most-recent Manchester United fixture, Bruno delivered one of his greatest performances, on a day that climaxed with him lifting the Emirates FA Cup after a totemic display.

His perfect, no-look pass for Kobbie Mainoo's winner will be remembered as one of the great United assists, and the midfielder also played a masterful part earlier in that classic move, sending Mateo Kovacic for a United pie.

Throughout the 90 (plus seven!) minutes, his touches were immaculate, his intelligence unmatched and his determination unsurpassable. On the biggest stage, Fernandes had done what all great players and leaders do: dragged his side to achieve something others thought beyond them. What a player.

The new Manchester United adidas home kit for 2024/25 is available now. Sign up to United Direct and save 10% on your first purchase.