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Man Utd boss Solskjaer names the two things he expects from Bruno Fernandes after transfer
Manchester United have made their first foray into the January transfer window with Bruno Fernandes set to be officially announced later today.
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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident Bruno Fernandes will come in and immediately make them a bigger threat going forward. United confirmed yesterday that they had finally reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon after weeks of negotiations.
United are set to pay £46.5million up front with the remaining £8.5m in achievable add-ons.
Fernandes arrived in Manchester yesterday evening as United crashed out of the Carabao Cup to Manchester City, despite winning 1-0 on the night.
He is set to undergo a medical at some point today with the club expected to make the transfer official.
That could potentially put him in contention to make his United debut on Saturday against Wolves, otherwise it will come after the winter break when they take on top four rivals Chelsea.
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Whenever that debut does come, there will certainly be some expectation from the United support for Fernandes to deliver high up the pitch.
At Sporting, the 25-year-old established himself as one of Europe's most creative midfielders while also having an eye for goal.
In his final 18 months with the Portuguese side, Fernandes racked up an impressive 32 assists while also finding the net 47 times in all competitions.
That goal threat is something United have been lacking in midfield all season long.
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And with Marcus Rashford out for a number of weeks, that burden may fall heavily on Fernandes' shoulders early on.
That may create some pressure on the Portugal international, but Solskjaer is confident the midfielder can prove his worth.
"I know that if we get Bruno over the line, we have got a boy there who is going to score and create," he said.
"So let’s talk on Friday.”
Rashford isn't expected back until April, meaning young Mason Greenwood is likely to be given more ample opportunities from the start.
The emergence of the 18-year-old at United has been a rare flash point for United this season.
But the club may still be looking to bring in another striker before the end of the window as the race for the top four heats up.
The Red Devils currently sit six points adrift of the final Champions League spot but their only a loss and a draw away from dropping to 14th.