Before Bruno Fernandes had even kicked a ball for Manchester United, there were comparisons being made to club legend Paul Scholes.
There were three reasons for this. Part of it came from the fans’ desperation for a new hero, with nobody since Scholes coming close to replicating his impact.
Fernandes is a player similar in style to the midfield maestro, he’s a goalscoring midfielder who had a staggering record at Sporting.
And then United went and gave him Scholes’ iconic number 18 shirt. After two-and-a-half seasons Fernandes took the number 8 last summer, but this week he has the opportunity to make the Scholes connection stronger than ever.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loan deals for January 2023
Fernandes big opportunity
Arguably Paul Scholes’ greatest moment in a Manchester United shirt came with his Champions League semi-final goal against Barcelona. You see where we are going here…
Scholes’s thunderbolt of a shot was the winning goal over the two legs, sending United on their way to win the trophy.
The midfielder told BT Sport last week it was the most important goal he ever scored for the club. And there were quite a few to choose from.
This week Bruno Fernandes has his big moment to try and replicate Scholes’ decisive moment. If there is any player in the team capable of scoring a similar goal, it is the Portuguese midfielder.
Fernandes was compared to Scholes by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who told The Guardian: “He is a goalscoring and assisting midfielder, a little bit like Paul Scholes.
“He can strike a ball fantastically. He has got such a wonderful technique but he also is going to get assists from set plays and from his range of passes. He is a similar type to Scholesy: fiery, passionate, hates losing.”
The midfielder has lived up to the description, going on to captain the side on a regular basis this season. He is a leader other players look up to.
Fernandes has scored 57 goals for United at a rate of 0.35 per game. While short of the 155 Scholes scored, he is netting at a faster rate than the former star’s 0.22 per game.
What Scholes achieved for the club is impossible to match. He won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League medals. Fernandes has not won anything so far.
But he can take a step forward in the quest for the Europa League with a big performance this week, and continue to build his own legacy at the club.
This momentous match against Barcelona is the perfect stage for big players to step up. This is a chance for Fernandes to write his own chapter.
The post Manchester United star has perfect chance to show he is the new Paul Scholes appeared first on United In Focus.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/OdQYhqz