Manchester United formally introduced the newest member of the Red Devils in Bruno Fernandes, and for the Portuguese, the chance of playing football at the Old Trafford is a dream that came true. The midfielder said he is an avid fan of the Premier League club, and mainly because Cristiano Ronaldo was once part of the team.
Ronaldo is a football legend in Portugal, and Fernandes grew up in awe of the Juventus superstar. Needless to say, the 25-year-old has been wanting to follow the track that Ronaldo took on his way to success.
It is interesting to note that Ronaldo joined the Red Devils coming from Sporting Lisbon, the same club that sold Fernandes to United, The Sun reported.
If the Portugal international is writing history that is based on Ronaldo's achievements, then he is off to a great start. Fernandes inked a five-year plus contract to represent United and reports said the deal will cost the English club a total of €80 million.
It's only expected that the midfielder is beyond ecstatic.
"For me to now play for Manchester United feels incredible, I have worked hard to get to this moment and I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies," the rising football star was reported as saying.
He added his compatriot Ronaldo was the reason he dreamed big to reach the big league. Now plays for United.
"My love of Manchester United really started when I used to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play and ever since then I have been a big fan of this great club," the Portuguese revealed.
According to former United defender Rio Ferdinand, Fernandes has the vote of confidence coming from Ronaldo. The latter supposedly described as a fantastic footballer. The two played together in the Portugal national team.
"Cristiano said he's fantastic, creates chances for him. He can manipulate the ball, take the ball, confident," Metro reported Ferdinand as saying.
The United hero added he is confident Fernandes will prove a great signing for team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
"Based on what I've heard about him and what I've seen, I'm hopeful and confident that this guy can go out there and do the job," Ferdinand said.
Meanwhile, Solskjaer said he is happy that the deal on Fernandes has been finalized and expressed confidence that acquisition will deliver to full expectations.
"Bruno's goals and assists stats speak for themselves, he will be a fantastic addition to our team and he will help us push on in the second part of the season," said the Norwegian.
Prior to making the jump to Old Trafford, Fernandes appeared in 137 games for Sporting, and during the entire stretch, he recorded 63 goals and 52 assists.
