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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

How Bruno Fernandes debut proved he is the midfielder Manchester United have been missing

It was a day of mixed emotions for Bruno Fernandes when he made his Manchester United debut against Wolves on Saturday night.

After a long transfer saga the Portuguese midfielder finally moved to Old Trafford late in the January transfer window and was in the squad to make his debut only days later.

Ahead of the game it was unclear what role Fernandes would have to play in the current United team, but it didn't take long for him to show fans exactly what they've been missing.

The 25-year-old started the game as a No.10 in midfield and immediately caused a threat with a number of speculative efforts from midfield.

In fact Fernandes had more shots (5), more shots on target (3) and made more passes (88) than any other United player in the match.

After the half-time interval Fernandes was deployed in a deeper midfield role, and he had an even bigger influence on the match with his more methodical approach.

By the final whistle United's recent arrival finished the game with the most passes (88) the most passes in the final third (44) and best shooting accuracy of anyone else on the pitch.

Speaking after the game Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reiterated his belief in their January arrival and backed the midfielder to be a 'top addition' at the club for years to come.

"You can see he is a top player, it’s his first game," he told Sky Sports.

"Bruno is one of those players, when he gets ball into feet, he wants players moving in front of him, which we didn't have, so we moved him further back to get on the ball more.

"He'll be a top, top addition." 

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