Bruno Fernandes hits out at the unfair criticism he received from British pundits, who usually state it takes one or two years to fully adapt to the Premier League, compared to Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe, who was recently loaned to Nice.
It’s laughable to think back at Fernandes’ early comparisons to Pepe. Arsenal’s £72m record signing was a complete flop and he returned to France this summer in search of more game time.
Pepe made 20 Premier League appearances for Arsenal last season (scoring one goal and making one assist) but only started five matches.
Meanwhile, Fernandes have become one of the best players in the Premier League and he believes in new manager Erik ten Hag. The aim is to get back competing for the biggest honours and United are better with Fernandes than without.
Speaking to The Athletic, Fernandes said: “He [Pepe] had some bad games and everyone was saying, ‘He still has to adapt’, but when Bruno was having a bad game, it was just because he was moaning and not focused on the game. For me, that was good, because it meant that I was ready and that’s why they were demanding so much from me.”
He raises a good point because Fernandes quickly became a key player for United. That meant everyone held him at a higher standard – but they were very quick to criticise him when he went through a run of bad form.
Fernandes has been back to his best this season.
