Former Chelsea legend Andy Cole has warned Manchester United that it won’t be long before Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid start making moves to sway Bruno Fernandes away.
The Portuguese midfielder has become a star ever since his arrival to the Old Trafford in January this year. While he was an unknown commodity to most people, including Cole, before his arrival to the Premier League, Fernandes has really been the standout performer for the Red Devils this year.
“I’m very surprised to see how quickly Bruno Fernandes has taken to the Premier League since he joined Manchester United,” Cole told The Target Men Podcast.
“Bruno Fernandes joined the club for a big fee and I have to say I didn’t know too much about him.
“I wondered if he was going to be able to continue scoring goals and producing assists at the same rate this season now that clubs knew more about him, but he’s arguably been even better!
Since his arrival at the Old Trafford, Fernandes has gone on to score 15 goals in the Premier League along with assisting 11 times. Those are great numbers and have helped in turning Manchester United’s fortunes around.
Cole also went on to mention that even though Fernandes isn’t the designated captain of the squad, he is well and truly their leader considering how he performs on the pitch. According to him, the Portuguese ‘leads by example’.
“Bruno Fernandes doesn’t wear the captain’s armband but anyone watching this Manchester United team can see that he is the leader of the dressing room and he leads by example on the pitch. He’s a world-class quality player.”
Even though Cole was busy in detailing out Fernandes’ importance to the English club, he is worried that La Liga giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona could take him away soon.
“The concern for Manchester United is that Bruno Fernandes has well and truly put himself on the map now,” Cole added.
“It’s probably only a matter of time until there are rumours of a Barcelona and Real Madrid being interested in signing him and if Manchester United continue to not perform in the Champions League, no-one knows if his head could be turned in the years ahead.”
