Jamie Redknapp has sounded a warning to Manchester United over the signing of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, per Sky Sports’ Weekend Preview podcast.
What’s he said?
United secured the Portugal international’s signature ahead of the transfer deadline, striking a deal worth an initial £47m, though that figure could rise to £67.7m.
He had been in electric form for Sporting, scoring 15 goals in all competitions and also providing 14 assists this season.
And while Redknapp believes the deal is a good one, he claims that previously top players have flopped after turning up at Old Trafford.
He said: “He’s a very, very talented player. I saw him last summer in the Nations League and I was very impressed with him. He got 20-odd goals from midfield last season and he’s got an unbelievable strike from distance. If you look at his numbers they’re amazing.
“Frank Lampard is the best I’ve ever seen for scoring goals from midfield but this guy is doing it as well.
“But what you have to remember is, right now United have an amazing record of making good players turn into bad ones. They’ve got to look after this guy because he’s a super player. But the players they’re signing have got to perform better and they have to find a way of getting the best out of these players.
“I don’t subscribe to this theory they keep signing bad players, they’re just not working correctly with these players and they need to create an environment where these players know if they’re not doing well enough and not just be able to turn it on when they want. And that sometimes comes down to the manager.”
A fair point
Redknapp is right to make this point, here, and it features some much-needed subtlety in his argument.
It is easy to say that they have been poor in the market but think of the players they have signed in recent transfer windows: since 2018/19, they have acquired the likes of Fred, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Fred, this season, has become an important member of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad, playing 20 times in the league, while the only real misfire has come in the form of Dalot. Wan-Bissaka has made 28 appearances this season at right-back and Maguire is now the club’s captain.
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These are not bad buys, just players struggling to click.
Heading into the weekend, United were fifth in the league, trailing Chelsea in fourth, and while the signing of Fernandes could inspire a turnaround in form and set the club on their way to Champions League qualification, he could also underwhelm.
That, as Redknapp says, does not make him a bad signing or a bad player.
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