Luke Shaw has praised Bruno Fernandes’ impact since joining Manchester United in January and says he has been most surprised by the impact the Portuguese has made in the dressing room.
Fernandes swapped Lisbon for Manchester in the winter transfer window, with United spending £67.6million to prise him away from Sporting, and he has already scored two goals and assisted three more in his first five Premier League appearances.
Although Fernandes has brought creativity and flair to United on the pitch, Shaw says it is the midfielder’s characteristics off the pitch that have been most striking.
Speaking during a Combat Corona live FIFA tournament on Twitch, Shaw was asked about Fernandes’ impact, saying: ‘He’s been amazing for us.
‘The maddest thing is he hasn’t actually been there that long but what he’s brought in and the quality he has – of course on the pitch – but inside the dressing room as well. He’s a leader for us too.’
Fernandes’ arrival coincided with an 11-game unbeaten run for United which was only halted by the suspension of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Shaw admits the hiatus came at a bad time for the team, who had put themselves back into contention to claim a Champions League spot after moving within three points of Chelsea in fifth place.
Asked about United’s good run of form, Shaw continued: ‘That’s why we were all disappointed to be fair, but obviously we had to stop.
‘We were really confident, results were going our way, but the most important thing is people’s lives and people’s health but we understand the situation.’
United’s squad had originally been due to report back to their Carrington training ground on April 10 but with the country still in lockdown that date has been scrapped, with training postponed indefinitely.
MORE: Man Utd star Luke Shaw calls for Premier League season to be voided denying Liverpool the title
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