Erik ten Hag is showing Manchester United player Bruno Fernandes what he thinks of him

The 'Football For Dummies' book will no doubt outline that it is inadvisable for a football club to give new contracts to players with an interim manager in charge. Manchester United defied that rule by giving Bruno Fernandes a new deal last season.

The appointment of Erik ten Hag was yet to be made official and Ralf Rangnick was in charge when Fernandes' contract extension was announced in April. If United had to make an exception to that rule for any player at the club, it was always going to be just for Fernandes. The midfielder has been United's best player since making the move to Manchester in January 2020.

Fernandes made the switch to Old Trafford for £47million from Sporting Lisbon and he made an immediate impact. Fernandes scored 12 goals and created eight assists in his first 22 appearances during his debut campaign - which was interrupted by the pandemic - and he swiftly became the driving force behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. His impact was remarkable and his displays were talismanic.

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Fernandes won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award and he claimed that prize again the following season. That was Fernandes' first full campaign at United and it was even more impressive. Fernandes contributed 28 goals and 17 assists in 2020/21.

His value to the team exceeded statistics, though. Fernandes was the catalyst for every transition, he was instrumental in the final third and he possessed the ruthless mentality that the dressing room had been missing. Fernandes was clearly a winner.

Fernandes sadly did more moaning than winning last season. He was never in contention for a third consecutive Sir Matt Busby Player of the