Opinion: Bruno Fernandes’s award win says a lot

So you begin to worry. Will the fans get swept up in this tidal wave of negativity when feeling so emotional? It’s a fact that Bruno has been an absolutely brilliant signing, by any metric, and you only have to listen to Erik ten Hag talking about him to understand just how appreciated he is within the dressing room.

Twice a winner of the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, our Portuguese magnifico has always been so incredibly popular among our support, and rightly so. Yet how powerful is a media movement or agenda? How much sway can it have in influencing opinion? What would Bruno himself be thinking after being targeted in such a specific way after 90 minutes that in were, in no way, reflective of our first campaign under Ten Hag, nor his consistent contribution?

This last question was quickly answered by Bruno in the way he knows best – playing football. A Man-of-the-Match display against Real Betis was capped by a powerful headed goal in a game that said much about the character of the team, but also, individually, the playmaker at the heart of most of our attacking moves. When the Spanish side equalised, the chips were down but the response was magnificent, and appreciated by those inside Old Trafford.

He came closest to breaking the deadlock against Southampton, with a shot that almost everybody thought was in, only to bounce out from a post, and helped the Reds win the Europa League last-16 second leg in Seville that sealed another tie with a team from that city.