Wolves boss Bruno Lage well aware of the threat posed by Bruno Fernandes
Lage managed against the Manchester United playmaker in the Portuguese league.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Wolves boss Bruno Lage believes Bruno Fernandes changed the dynamic at Manchester United
The Molineux chief believes Portugal international Fernandes has been the perfect fit for United since his £47million switch from Sporting Lisbon.
The midfielder has scored 43 goals in 82 games for United after arriving in January 2020 and bagged a hat-trick in the 5-1 opening day win over Leeds.
He is set to be joined at Old Trafford by Cristiano Ronaldo, with United having agreed a deal with Juventus for the forward’s return to the club.
Wolves will not have to deal with Ronaldo this weekend when they host United at Molineux, but Lage – who faced Fernandes when in charge of Sporting’s rivals Benfica – knows his side have their work cut out with his international teammate.
He said: “The way he was at Sporting and the way Manchester United play, it was the right player to come for the team. He fitted the way they play, he created a dynamic the team needs.
“We played a lot of times against him, four or five times because we played for the championship and for the cup.
“He is a top player, what he did at Sporting was very good. He was the most important player in the team, sometimes we played against them and he played in different positions.
“Sometimes he played on the wing, sometimes in front of the two midfielders, other times side by side. He is an important player, he can do everything.
“When I was there I always said good things about him because he can do everything. It is very hard to play against him but he will know it’s very hard to play against my team.
“He can create a lot of changes, run between the defenders, shoot from outside. He’s a talented player and works hard for the team when they don’t have the ball.”