Sir Alex Ferguson has lauded the calmness and confidence Bruno Fernandes has exhibited at Manchester United since January 2020.
Fernandes arrived at BBC from Sporting Lisbon in that January window and made an instant impact, winning United's Sir Matt Bubsy player of the year award in both his seasons at the club.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has waxed lyrical about Fernandes on a number of occasions, with the 26-year-old's importance to the United side now clear for all to see, having notched 43 goal contributions this season.
And Ferguson, the former United boss and mentor of Solskjaer, has picked out Fernandes' confidence when shooting and taking penalties, plus his composure in the final third, as the Portuguese player's key traits.
"He's been fantastic the lad," Ferguson told the BBC on Fernandes. "He's scored some important goals and even when he's taking his penalty kicks, he's very confident about them.
"And I can't even think if a goalkeeper's got anywhere near his penalty kicks. So he's calm, his shots from outside the box are always a threat and he's got that thing United have really needed in the past few years — he's got the ability to make a pass in the final third. It opens up defences and I think that's important."
Earlier this month, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he'd not yet had a chance to chat with Ferguson since arriving at United and that remains a major regret for the player.
Fernandes said: "That is one of my biggest regrets in the club until now.
“I met him already but never had the chance to speak with him like I would like to do.
”I think everyone who watched Manchester United in the past remembers Sir Alex. [That is true] for me, growing up and seeing the club, being a fan of the club and seeing the development of the team.
“I would like to have a conversation with him and understand, from his point of view, what he thinks about me and what I can improve or still improve in my game to be better.”
