Giving an explanation about why he took the no.8 shirt at Man United and the history behind it, Bruno Fernandes said: “That shirt means a lot [to me].
“There is a history behind that [number] because my father, when he used to be a player, he was playing with a number eight.
“He quit from football because he had an offer from work, and obviously at that time for me and my brothers and for all the family it was better that he had proper work than [to] keep playing football.
“The number eight] is the number he was using for two years. Because it was also his dream [to be a footballer], it makes my dream a little bit of him.
“The B is the last name of my mum, Borges, and the F is the last name of my father, Fernandes.
“The eight is the day of my birthday! So this number eight says a lot about me, says a lot about my family, says a lot about my past and that’s why I like to use [it]. And that’s why it’s my preferred number.”
Bruno has been able to take up the no.8 shirt after the departure of Juan Mata, who assumed the jersey for many years at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag gives strong verdict on Bruno Fernandes performances
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag had high praise for star midfielder Bruno Fernandes after last night’s 1-0 win over Real Betis.
Fernandes created four goalscoring chances in United’s win, and crucially, avoided a booking which would have seen him suspended for the quarter-final first leg.
The Portugal international had passed on the captaincy to regular skipper Harry Maguire with the England defender recalled to the starting line-up.
But regardless of this, Ten Hag felt Fernandes led by example with his performance in Spain.
Erik ten Hag spoke after the game and had high praise for Fernandes, who leads United with assists this season, 13 in total.
He told the club website: “He is an example for the team. I think his performance once again [was brilliant], [as well as] in recent weeks, he’s in brilliant form.
“It looks like he’s getting better and better from game to game.”
Ten Hag also talked up Fernandes work ethic without the ball, along with his tactical flexibility.
He said: “He’s very strong; he’s very good at recovery first, so he is a really good athlete. He has so much energy, he can play in so many roles, for tactics [it is] brilliant for the team that he can play [these] roles.
“He is also very important in the counter-press and in the pressing; so his transition is a really fantastic skill for him.”
Fernandes also has eight goals this season in addition to his assists, taking his total goal contributions to 21 for the season.
He is a player who Erik ten Hag is clearly delighted to have at his disposal – that has been made clear by the volume of games he has played this season.
Last night was his 43rd club game of the season for the Red Devils, and there are plenty more left to come.
