Bruno Fernandes has come in for some criticism of late but you won’t find his former boss saying a single bad word about the Manchester United captain.
Long before he was donning the armband at one of the biggest footballing institutions on the globe, Bruno Fernandes was honing his talents in the second tier of Italian football.
And even back then, the future Portugal international would display a few tantalising glimpses into the vast potential that would eventually make Fernandes one of the premiere playmakers of the modern era.
Manchester United’s number eight moved to Italy back in 2012, arriving from Boavista in his homeland.
And, despite a difficult start during which he suffered from bouts of homesickness, the fact that Fernandes would eventually come to be known as the ‘Maradona of Novara’ should go some way to explaining why Udinese were convinced to take a punt on a player who needed only 23 appearances to prove his Serie A credentials.
Udinese paid just £2 million to sign Bruno Fernandes. One of the more inspired pieces of business in recent Serie A history.
Novara coach knew Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was special
“I was lucky enough to be able to train him when he was very young,” recalls Giacomo Gattuso, the long-serving Novara coach who still works at the Stadio Silvio Piola to this day speaking to Sky Italia.
“But you could already see that he had great talent, and I am happy with the career he has had.
“He earned it and deserved it. He is a splendid boy and you could immediately understand that he was very ambitious and could reach the levels he has reached.”
Twelve years on from his Novara debut, Bruno Fernandes is facing arguably the toughest spell of his Manchester United career.
With no goals and only one assist in his first seven Premier League outings in 2024/25, there are some wondering if now may be the time for Erik ten Hag to rotate his talismanic skipper out of the starting XI.
Especially with Christian Eriksen a man reborn at Man United, outperforming his captain over the last few weeks.
Fernandes was likened to Diego Maradona and Rui Costa in Italy
Fernandes also suffered the ignominy of red cards in successive fixtures. And while Fernandes’ ‘unfair’ sending off during Man United’s defeat to Tottenham was overturned on appeal, there will be no reprieve after is early bath at Porto.
But, even if his best days are indeed now behind him, Fernandes’ remarkable rise will forever remain a source of pride at the club who handed him his big break in the senior game.
“[Bruno Fernandes] impressed me with his technique. He was really good in one-on-one situations. His decision-making was also excellent,” former Novara director Cristiano Giaretta told The Athletic back in 2020.
“The only thing that didn’t convince me at the time was his physique. He’s not exactly a wardrobe today, of course! But, back then, he was very, very light. But he showed more character than other players of his age. He had personality on the ball. He always wanted it.
“Everything flowed through him. Bruno likes to get in behind, with or without the ball. This is a good quality. He also shoots well from long distance, like [Portugal legend] Rui Costa did.
“They’re very similar in style.”
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