New Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has disclosed that Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo was critical to his move to Old Trafford. The Portuguese international joined the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon on a five-and-a-half year deal worth up to £68m with the option to extend for a further year.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Fernandes said he joined the Red Devils in order to follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen like Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Nani. He also promised the fans that he would give everything for the badge to help bring the club more success and trophies.
“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,” he said.
In another interview with United’s official website on Wednesday, Fernandes said he sought the opinion of Portuguese captain before he agreed to join United and he advised him to make the move.
“Yes, I talked about Manchester United with Cristiano,” Fernandes said.
“He just said good things about United. He said he started living his dream here and he started being a really good player here. I think he is happy with my transfer.”
Fernandes also revealed that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke with Ronaldo, speaking to him about Fernandes before deciding to pull the trigger on the move.
I also talked with Ole and he said he asked Cristiano about me,”
said Fernandes. “And he said good things about me, which is good!
Cristiano plays with me in the national team and he knows me, and for me he’s a good person. I want to follow his steps.
Fernandes said former United winger Louis Nani, who was previously his captain at Sporting, also advised him to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. He said his former teammate provided a glowing reference of the club, where he proudly won 12 trophies as a Red.
I played with him, he was my captain at Sporting and I learned some things from him,
said Fernandes.
He sent me a message the other day and said he was very happy for me with my move.
Fernandes featured for 90 minutes on his Premier League debut against Wolves last Saturday. He will travel with the rest of the squad to Spain for the club’s winter training camp before facing Chelsea on Monday, February 17.
