‘I was wrong’ Dimitar Berbatov’s admittance regarding Bruno Fernandes’ impact at Manchester United
Last Updated: January 19, 2021 6:15 pm
Berbatov was wrong
The impact that Bruno Fernandes has had at Manchester United has been one of the most significant of the Premier League era. Very few players have been able to single-handedly turn the fortunes of a side around since their arrival in such a short space of time.
However, it is obvious to see that the Portuguese international has been the catalyst to turn Manchester United, who were previously a side with the target of securing Champions League qualification, into a title-challenging side this season.
Former United striker Dimitar Berbatov has gone on record to say that he was wrong to suggest that one player cannot change a team.
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 25: Dimitar Berbatov of Monaco attends a press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group C match between Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco at BayArena on November 25, 2014 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
“I have always said that a single player cannot change a team. I was wrong. Since his arrival, Bruno Fernandes has supported the team with his individual performances. He assists, he scores goals. He knows what to do to play good football,” he said.
Berbatov joined Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 and played over 100 games for the club scoring 48 league goals. His arrival helped Sir Alex Ferguson and his team to the Premier League title in that year. He scored 9 goals in the league in 31 appearances, he would go onto score 20 in two seasons’ time but the impact of Fernandes has been meteoric in comparison.
Fernandes exhausted
The impact of Fernandes has been so great that he has become almost undroppable for Manchester United to the point where he needs to play almost all games for the club to have the best chance of winning.
United drew 0-0 against Liverpool in the top of the table clash at the weekend and the Portuguese international had some bright moments but ultimately was not the main protagonist of the game.
Solskjaer has said that the player is tired having played so much with such commitment in recent games. The Portuguese midfielder was seen visibly annoyed to be substituted against Liverpool but the Norwegian coach explained his decision behind the change.
“It was a tactical decision,” the United boss said. “Bruno has been running his socks off for us in every single game since he came here. Running, more or less, every game.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Thiago of Liverpool challenges for the ball with Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on January 17, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“Towards the end, I felt Paul’s physical presence in there might be a chance for us. Mason, you know if he gets a chance he can score in the blink of a second. But it was a throw of the dice to get Mason on, even though he had to defend against Robertson.”
United now travel to Fulham where they will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run and solidify their place as league leaders.
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 26 | 36 | 62 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 26 | 21 | 50 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 26 | 15 | 49 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 26 | 9 | 45 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 26 | 16 | 44 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 26 | 13 | 43 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 24 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 25 | 14 | 39 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 24 | 12 | 39 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 26 | 7 | 37 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 26 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 26 | -6 | 34 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 26 | -14 | 33 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 25 | -12 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 26 | -16 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 26 | -7 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 26 | -17 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 26 | -11 | 23 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 26 | -35 | 17 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 26 | -28 | 11 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
