Billy Lumsden looks at how Bruno Fernandes would line up and compare to his potential Manchester United teammates in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.
How many points would Bruno Fernandes have scored this season? How does that shape up against the likes of Daniel James, Andreas Pereira and Scott McTominay, among the other Manchester United midfielders, in Fantasy Football?
He is the most expensive player in the Portuguese equivalent of Fantasy Football, and is the third highest scorer in the game with 110 points.
It is clear to see where Manchester United are lacking in the midfield department, considering Bruno Fernandes has scored more goals than these three combined, especially when they have played a total of 45 matches as opposed to the 16 of Fernandes.
He tops the assist charts, as well as the Man of the Match field, meaning he could bring something to Manchester United that they do not currently possess. There is a need for a real attacking threat, and potency, from midfield.
On top of this, Daniel James is included as a midfielder in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, despite playing as a winger for the majority of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign in a more advanced position. Fernandes has not been substituted in the Portuguese league, and this comes with good reason if the statistics are anything to go by.
Although his discipline is of similar levels to his potential Manchester United teammates, as well as earning the most red cards too, he makes up for it through the bonus points he would achieve if he were to come into the Fantasy Football game.
Our team worked out how many bonus points he would have racked up from playing in the Premeira Liga. Again, this works to prove just what Fernandes could bring from Sporting. He has reached tier one shot bonus points (two shots on target in a match) on four occasions, while reaching the same amount of times for tier two (three shots on target in a match).
This amplifies the danger he could cause defences for Manchester United, not just from a goal threat perspective, but the kind of quality that could reap the rewards for the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood.
With the points transferred into the Sky Sports Fantasy Football system, there is a disparity of high proportion between Bruno Fernandes and the rest of the Man Utd midfielders.
Manchester United's midfield have accumulated 374 Fantasy Football points this campaign. In a Premier League table of Fantasy Football points from midfield, United lie in 15th place, which tells you all you need to know. They are sandwiched between Newcastle (322) and Southampton (380).
If you were to add the difference in points between Fred, a regular starter this season for Man Utd, and Bruno Fernandes (64), it would take Solskjaer's side up to 11th, with 14 games yet to play. Could Fernandes be quite the addition?
The numbers do the talking of course, but it proves the need for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to sign someone, of this calibre, in this position.
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