Who is Bruno Fernandes? The key stats behind his impending Manchester United move

Bruno Fernandes was a man in demand last summer. The Portugal international even appeared to bid a tearful farewell to Sporting CP in a pre-season friendly with Valencia as a move away from the Liga NOS outfit seemed a dead cert. And yet, despite concrete interest from Premier League pair Manchester United and Tottenham, the transfer window closed with the pair failing to secure his services. 

And while Spurs close in one Fernandes from Portugal, it's not the one supporters will have expected earlier this month with Gedson Fernandes set to arrive from Benfica before too long. For Bruno, United are again courting the goalscoring midfielder and, this time, it seems a move may actually come to fruition. 

Despite a summer of intense speculation, Fernandes' performances haven't dipped as he effectively continues to keep Sporting CP in the race for a top-four finish. Indeed, the 25-year-old has had a direct hand in 15 of the 28 league goals the Portuguese side have netted this season (53.6%) having scored eight and provided seven assists. Since the start of 2018/19, Fernandes has had a direct hand in 48 goals in 48 league appearances for Sporting. 

Having averaged a goal contribution per game, it's easy to see why Sporting CP are demanding a hefty fee for their captain. Whether he leaves for United this month, it still remains to be seen, but with all parties eager to make the deal happen, it would be in the club's best interests to progress this transfer. 

You only have to look at United's lack of goal threat from deep to highlight just how desperate they are to add a goalgetting midfielder to the ranks. Scott McTominay (3) and Andreas Pereira (1) are the only central midfielders to have gotten their names on the scoresheet in the Premier League this season and while Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood are shouldering the goalscoring burden with aplomb - the trio have scored United's last 15 Premier League goals between them - an additional option would ease the pressure on the three forwards. 

While Paul Pogba should have been the player to excel from deep, the Frenchman's injury issues haven't helped his nor United's cause and as it looks increasingly likely the 26-year-old at the end of the season; Fernandes' arrival would undoubtedly ease Pogba's second United exit. Of course, Fernandes won't be the answer to United's problems, and the issues run deeper that the big money arrival of a prized Portugal international won't fix, yet it's a step in the right direction for the club. 

Even with constant speculation surrounding his future, Fernandes has been putting up world class numbers in Portugal. He earned his fourth WhoScored man of the match award of the Liga NOS season in Sporting CP's 3-1 win at Vitoria de Setubal on Saturday, a game he netted twice in, to feature in the Liga NOS team of the week. That star man showing contributed to his average WhoScored rating of 7.89, that better than any other player in Portugal's top tier this season. 

Far and away Sporting CP's best rated player, the gulf of 0.72 between himself and the club's second best rated player - Luciano Vietto (7.17) - is the biggest of its kind in Portugal's top tier this term. He is so important to this sub-par Sporting side that United are hoping he'll make a similar impact in England. Indeed, Sporting have benefitted tremendously from making Fernandes the heartbeat of the team, so much so that the likes of Jose Peseiro, Tiago Fernandes, Marcel Keizer, Leonel Pontes and Silas have each built the team around the prized star during their respective reigns to great effect. 

And, as one might expect, Fernandes ranks highly for a number of stats. This season alone he ranks third for goals (8), second for assists (7), joint-first for man of the match awards (4), first for key passes (55), first for shots (54), first for clear-cut goalscoring chances created (10) and first for accurate through balls (6). If he can replicate these numbers in England, then United will, at times, be unstoppable going forward. The latter stat in particular would see Rashford and Martial rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of Fernandes threading through balls while they make runs beyond the opposition backline. 

Given United have made more accurate through balls (22) than any other Premier League team this season, and developed a statistically calculated WhoScored style of play of 'attempts through balls often', Fernandes should, in theory at least, slot into the United side with ease. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer elects to build the side around the Portuguese ace, then it'll go a long way to rescuing this season and vastly improve the club's chances of a return to the Champions League.