9 final third passes, 3 recoveries: United's "Mr Reliable" repaid manager's faith again

Manchester United won by a single goal against Aston Villa to solidify their position in the top four of the Premier League and the Champions League qualification places.

United’s goal was scored by Bruno Fernandes.

Marcus Rashford fired a shot that Emiliano Martinez failed to catch. The Argentine was only able to parry it into the path of a speeding Bruno Fernandes who put the ball into the back of the net.

Fernandes’s goal against Unai Emery’s men was the Portuguese midfielder’s ninth of the season for United in all competitions.

Today, Fernandes predominantly played on the right of attack with Antony relegated to a place on the bench.

Marcel Sabitzer played in the playmaker role in a midfield trio also consisting of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

Fernandes had 52 touches of the ball to his name. He delivered nine passes into the final third, in a show of attacking prowess from the 28-year-old.

Fernandes won three of his challenges on the ground. He made a similar number of ball recoveries.

The United captain won two out of the three tackles he attempted. Fernandes also successfully pinged two long balls to his teammates.

He made one key pass and created one big chance.

The goal was the crowning moment of his sensational performance against Villa.

Bruno Fernandes’ game by numbers vs. Aston Villa:

52 touches
9 final third passes completed
3 ground duels won
3 ball recoveries
2/3 tackles won
2 long balls completed
1 key pass
1 big chance created
1 goal

Magnifico. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/V4IPiRqEWl

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 30, 2023

Once again, United fans were treated to a show of just how important and crucial Fernandes is to Erik ten Hag and the team.

In terms of availability and versatility, the Portugal international is second to none in the United squad. That he excels no matter where deployed is a massive boost for Ten Hag.

The post Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United’s “magnifico” leads the charge in win vs. Aston Villa appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

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It has been a long season for Manchester United with progress deep into all three knockout tournaments coupled with the intense top-four race in the Premier League.

Along the way, manager Erik ten Hag has had to deal with tons of injuries and loss of form for certain players and has been forced to tweak his system many-a-times.

The Dutch manager seems to like his players to be versatile and that has proved particularly effective in defence as certain full-backs and defenders have been forced to swap sides.

United need a versatile defender in the summer

Diogo Dalot is excelling recently as a left-back while Tyrell Malacia has played on the right hand side of defence. Even in central defence, Victor Lindelof has played both as a right centre-back and the left.

In case rumours regarding Aaron Wan-Bissaka‘s departure ahead of next season come to pass, the Dutch boss will be eager to bring in a versatile presence in defence.

The rumour mill seems to suggest former protégé Jurrien Timber could be the ideal addition in that case but a surprising name has entered the fray.

According to Football Insider, Brentford’s versatile full-back Aaron Hickey is being monitored by both Manchester clubs with a view of buying him in the summer.

“Man City have sent scouts to watch Brentford star Aaron Hickey this season. Manchester rivals Man United have also been scouting Hickey and both clubs are interested in signing the defender this summer,” the report stated.

It is easy to see why the 20-year-old is so highly-rated. The Scot has already played in three different leagues — Scottish Premier League, Serie A and now the Premier League and has excelled everywhere.

The Scottish international can play both on the right and left of the defence and has also doubled up as a right midfielder or left midfielder on occasion.

Hickey’s versatility & impact for his age is impressive

That is not all as he can also play in the heart of defence and as the defensive pivot in midfield. That is exactly why the Bees forked out an initial £14million that could rise to £18m with add-ons for the highly-rated youngster from Bologna.

Hickey has made 21 appearances in the Premier League this season with 18 of them coming from the start. He has mainly operated on the right side of defence for Thomas Frank’s team.

He has been capped nine times for his national team by Steve Clarke and has managed to usurp both Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney in those games.

In past interviews, Frank has suggested that the versatile star has a “fantastic future” ahead of him and he could definitely play for the big guns in the future. That prediction could well ring true next season.

 

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