While the step up from the Portuguese Primeira Liga to the English Premier League is obviously a rather steep one, the immediate impact Bruno Fernandes made when joining Manchester United in January 2020 should ease the concerns of those doubting whether a fine track record against Estoril and Rio Ave can be replicated against Liverpool and Manchester City.
Fernandes almost single-handedly turned a previously poor United season around when joining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side back four-and-a-half years ago.
And, during a wide-ranging interview given to A Bola ahead of Portugal’s friendly clash with Sweden tonight, the Red Devils skipper spoke in glowing terms about a number of Iberian-based players who could yet follow in his footsteps.
Centre-half Goncalo Inacio, a target for Liverpool, has ‘grown enormously’. Morten Hjulmand, the £69 million, Man United-linked destroyer who has expertly filled Joao Palhinha’s Sporting Lisbon shoes, is a player he ‘loves’.
Ditto Pedro ‘Pote’ Goncalves. HITC Football understands West Ham are watching a free-scoring midfielder who has often been labelled the ‘new Fernandes’ at Sporting.
Bruno Fernandes raves about Sporting Lisbon stars
And, after scoring a staggering 36 goals in just 39 games since joining Los Leoes from Coventry City last summer, you won’t be surprised to learn that Viktor Gyokeres has an admirer too in the Old Trafford talisman.
“There are naturally many players in good shape. Gyokeres is one of them (impressing me),” says Fernandes, who could face off against the Swede in Guimaraes this evening.
“He’s scored a lot of goals.”
You can say that again. A 34-minute hat-trick during Sporting’s 6-1 hammering of Boavista on Sunday means he is just four away from breaking the 40-goal barrier. Despite an £86 million release clause in his contract, Sporting are bracing themselves for a battle this summer.
Arsenal step up Viktor Gyokeres chase
HITC Football understands that, amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham , Chelsea and Man United, Premier League pacesetters Arsenal are stepping up their checks on the one-time Brighton prospect.
Arsenal are expected to prioritise a top-level number nine this summer.
And while there is interest in Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, Gyokeres’ almost goal-a-game average across 39 Sporting appearances serves not only to justify those Erling Haaland comparisons but to ramp up the interest ahead of what is likely to be another summer of heavy speculation in Lisbon.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
