Sky Sports presenter and talkSPORT's new breakfast host Laura Woods delivers her latest column, focusing on Bruno Fernandes, her experience of interviewing him shortly before the UK entered lockdown, and why she sees the midfielder inspiring Manchester United's return to their former glories.
"Bruno Bruno Bruno, he comes from Sporting like Cristiano…
"He goes left, he goes right, makes defenders look sh*te…
"He's our Portuguese magnifico."
The smile crept across his face as he sang the words. Now sitting upright with purpose, where just a moment ago he'd looked shy, almost bashful. I'd pushed him to relay the song, which took the Manchester United fans a minute to make.
"No, no, no I can't." He’d insisted at first, but seconds later… out it came, in perfect delivery.
He's proud of it.
"Two days I’m here and already I have a song!"
I’m watching the footage back from that day. A sit-down interview with new signing Bruno Fernandes in the Jimmy Murphy Centre at Carrington ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Jose Mourinho’s Spurs. A fixture that, just days later, would be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
At that time, the seriousness of the situation was in neither of our remits.
Bruno had just collected his award for Premier League Player of the Month, not a bad start to his career in England. He puts his award to one side and sits down. There are various bits of small talk going on before we begin, my bid to make him feel more comfortable in the otherwise sanitised and unnatural environment of an interview set-up.
I make a last-minute adjustment, switching my folded legs over and boot him in the shin in the process. He laughs as I apologise and it proves to be the perfect way to break the ice.
Luckily I didn't break anything else.
I came well prepared, with a list of topics lodged in my memory. As a broadcaster in sport you can never read too much. You might not use all that information in that particular moment, but you will down the road somewhere. Little gems of knowledge you can sprinkle into different arenas. Context for other conversations.
It's my job to ask the questions and tease out as much information as I can. But, perhaps most importantly, it's also my job to listen. And in this particular case, I did that more than anything else.
He spoke with confidence and so fluidly we ran out of time. Far too many words for a four-minute TV edit. Far too many for a 1000-word written article. But not too many for a career at Manchester United. Not when they're the right words. But only meaningful if you can back them up.
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Bruno Fernandes' impact on the pitch was immediate with three goals and four assists in just eight starts. Unbeaten in every game he was involved in. Gary Neville described his influence as: "Beyond what anyone could have expected."
A leader on the pitch with a relentless work ethic and dreams of etching his name into the history books alongside the greats at Old Trafford.
I read him comments made by Roy Keane: "He's lifted everybody at the club. It's as if he's been there 20 years. He's got pure quality. He looks like he's going to be a big player for United for the next few years."
Bruno listened and morphed back into that bashful character, head tilted down, big eyes looking up in embarrassment.
"These are big words from a big player," he said. "This is what I want to do in Manchester. I want to be the best I can and if possible I want to be remembered like one of the best."
His first Manchester Derby couldn't have gone better, playing a leading role in a 2-0 win over the defending champions. But if you want to secure a different kind of status at Old Trafford, having a dig at Pep Guardiola will go a long way.
The Manchester City boss had thrown the ball away as Bruno stepped up to take a throw-in. Words were exchanged and Bruno pressed his finger to his lips and shushed one of the game's greatest ever managers. A moment that was caught by a fan in the crowd on a camera phone.
"I have so much respect for Pep and what he's won and for what he did for football, because he changed some mentalities, but I think in that moment he didn't respect me. So he doesn't deserve my respect at that moment on the pitch."
So, what did Pep say? I pushed Bruno for an answer. The big smile crept back across his face, but this time with confidence: "It doesn't matter."
I remember thinking… what a way to endear yourself to the red side of Manchester.
He described the decision to join the club as an easy one, inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and that era of dominance United once inflicted on English football.
"When I had the chance to come here, I didn't think twice. It was my first choice. When you see these teams that can win everything, you dream to be here."
What's evident throughout is Bruno's ability to be both humble and confident. I asked if he felt he'd changed anything at the club, but he refused to take credit.
"We can talk about a new start after Bruno, but it's not about Bruno, it's about the team. One player doesn't change a team. The team change when everyone pushes together for the same side and when I arrived I saw the team pushing, winning games and doing better and better.
"And I'm another player to help, just to help."
He focuses on the finer details of the game, a trait his new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shares.
"Ole is really good on this, he was a football player, so he knows when he needs to talk to a player and push you to give more. He wants perfection, it's impossible, but he tries to ask more and more from us."
Bruno places equal importance on working hard both in and out of possession.
"When I lose the ball I am angry, every time I want more. I think this is the difference between me and some players. If you want to be better and be one of the best, you need to look for the ball."
It's the leadership and life that's been lacking at Old Trafford. A player with character and desire that can spark his team-mates into action.
The question that remains is what a midfield of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba might look like? You get the sense we might not be too far away from finding out.
There's a general belief that these days there's no loyalty in football. But the love Bruno has been shown in his short time in Manchester hasn't gone unnoticed.
"I need to give something to these fans because they deserve it, not because they sing my song, but because they give me the support I need to help my team-mates and to make Manchester United better. We need to fight to win everything we are in, because we are Manchester United."
The criticism the club has received in recent years may have been warranted when you consider their tumble down the table and failure to live up to the high standards set by some of the game's greatest ever players.
But one by one Ole is building a team, and in terms of transfers he is yet to put a foot wrong. The signing of Bruno may be the most important piece of the puzzle yet.
I had a chat with Graeme Souness at our last Christmas party. I sat between him and Gary Neville for a few moments as they discussed the Premier League and how long it would take for Manchester United to challenge again.
I asked Graham if they would ever lose their status as the biggest club in the world. His reply was short. "Not in your lifetime." And with that I shut up, took a sip of my wine and stopped pondering. It might not be immediate, but with Bruno in position surely Manchester United fans can't feel anything other than optimistic.
Laura Woods' previous Sporting Life columns
📷 Laura Woods talks to Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl
- Inside the Premier League with Laura Woods: Debut column
- Numero Nuno: Insight into Wolves' impressive boss
- Hailing King Ralph: Credit for Southampton manager's turnaround in results
- Here's to you, Allan Saint-Maximin
- On Cheltenham, life without sport and the impact of coronavirus outbreak
- Football's funny moments, intimidating managers and missing the beautiful game
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