Manchester United star Nemanja Matic says he has been taken aback by how quickly new teammate Bruno Fernandes has adapted to the Premier League.
Fernandes has had a big impact in English football already, helping United to a 14-match unbeaten run.
Matic says he knew a lot about Fernandes’ quality before he signed, but he has still been left surprised by what an immediate impact he has had on this United team.
Matic told Sky Sports: “I’ve followed him for a long time because I played in the Portuguese league at Benfica
“I knew he would bring quality for us. He played for a big club with a lot of pressure to win, but I didn’t think he would adapt so quick. From the first minute in the Premier League he made the difference.
“I’m happy for him and happy we have him in the team. He’s playing in the position where he needs to make the difference. He has all the ability to be the leader on the pitch.”
A star from day one
Fernandes arrived with big expectation after clinching his move, for a fee which could rise to £67.7 million.
Even in his first match against Wolves, Fernandes was ordering his new teammates around on the pitch, having had just one full training session with them.
It has been his personality along with his talent which has endeared him to everybody from the United players and coaching staff to the supporters.
Even at the weekend in a game where Fernandes was far from at his best, he managed to create five goalscoring chances.
There is a little debate over whether Solskjaer should pick Fernandes tonight, after he played the full 120 minutes just days ago.
You suspect the closer it gets to game time, the more the manager will hesitate to leave him out.
Fernandes is a competitor who makes United better. It is so important to have him in the team, and his budding partnership with Paul Pogba is one which needs even more time to develop.
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