Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes‘s brace against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday night means he now has 52 goal contributions in 58 appearances for the Red Devils.

His 33 goals and 19 assists in all competitions amount to ten more than any other Premier League player since he arrived in England in February 2020.

Fernandes’s impact on this United team over the last year has been quite remarkable. There were question marks over the club spending £67.6m on the Portuguese international when he joined from Sporting Lisbon, with some pundits asking whether he could replicate his output in a bigger league.

However, those doubts were quickly dispelled and within months he had become an indispensable player for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He has exceeded all expectations, much to the delight of supporters. If and when United do win some trophies over the next few years, Fernandes will be one of the big reasons why.