Amorim may have finally unearthed Man Utd’s new Paul Scholes

admin5 hours ago

0 3 3 minutes read

Man United’s performance vs Leicester

Before half an hour was on the block, Rasmus Hojlund calmly finished past Mads Hermanssen to end his 21-game goal drought and perhaps now turn a corner.

Similarly, Alejandro Garnacho ended his woes in front of goal, instinctively pouncing on some dismal defending to snap his 24-match barren run.

Ayden Heaven’s inspiring start to life as a professional suffered a cruel blow when he was stretchered off after the break with a potentially serious injury, but this should not detract from genuine signs of progress.

Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho celebrate

There was, of course, one man about all the others at the King Power; you know who.

It might seem a little rogue, but this player’s recent efforts are beginning to see him take the mould of a former Man United great named Paul Scholes

Amorim’s own version of Paul Scholes

Bruno Fernandes was in inspired showing against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester. Assisting both Hojlund and Garnacho’s goals before scoring his 16th of the campaign in the dying embers.

A fitting reward for the “main man,” as he was lauded by commentator Seb Hutchinson upon dispatching his strike.

Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes celebrate

Like former Man United skipper Scholes, he is an unflappable presence, a leader and an attacking example. Follow his lead and you’ll do alright.

The Manchester Evening News’s Samuel Luckhurst was certainly impressed, handing the skipper an 8/10 match rating and writing: ‘The most assured on the ball in the first half and quietly effective as the forwards claimed the headlines.’

Quietly effective, eh? Fernandes’ deeper-lying role is paying dividends and indeed throwing shades of Scholes back into the Red Devils team.

Fernandes – Man Utd Stats by Position (24/25)
Position	Apps	Goals	Assists
Attacking midfield	25	8	9
Central midfield	12	5	2
Defensive midfield	4	3	3
Centre-forward	3	0	1
Stats via Transfermarkt

Having recently slotted into a deeper-lying role, Fernandes’ ball-playing influence is being promoted to a different, maybe more controlled, realm, all the while retaining his potency in the contribution department.

The Portugal international’s efforts in Leicester actually mean he joins Scholes in an illustrious list of United stars to register more than 50 goals and 50 assists in the Premier League,

On top of that, Sofascore record that Fernandes made six tackles, won seven duels, completed 86% of his passes and recovered possession a whopping 17 times; truly, he’s the complete player, much like Scholes before him.

The data suggests he can perform this new job to a lasting effect. As per FBref, Fernandes ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted and progressive passes, and the top 7% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.

Sometimes, you find yourself wistfully thinking of how Fernandes would fare in one of the great United sides of old.

Based on the present evidence and indeed the Magnifico’s performances over the past several years, it’s hard to argue that he’d look out of place alongside the likes of Scholes.