Bruno Fernandes did not suffer during Ronaldo’s time at Old Trafford, but the statistics showed a player hampered by the superstar’s presence. Given how impressive those numbers were in his first 18 months at the club, perhaps the decline was unavoidable. It is worth repeating. Fernandes scored 29 Premier League goals between his debut in February 2020 and the signing of Ronaldo in September 2021.
Bruno Fernandes’ form at Manchester United
That was one less than Harry Kane and two less than top scorer Mohamed Salah. Consider that Fernandes was ahead of Kevin De Bruyne in the Premier League in terms of assists during this period, and it is plausible to assume that he was the best player in the country. Nobody contributed as many goals as Fernandes. Nobody had a greater influence on their club. When he arrived at Manchester United in the middle of the season, they were closer to the bottom half of the Premier League than the top four.
Only Manchester City accumulated more points than United over the next year and a half. Fernandes’ hat-trick against Leeds on the first day of last season brought his Premier League tally to 29 goals in 52 appearances. But Ronaldo signed just a fortnight later, and Fernandes only scored five goals in 31 Premier League appearances.
