Fernandes emulated his idol Ronaldo by swapping Sporting CP for Manchester United in January for €55m.
The 25-year-old has frequently hailed Cristiano as the greatest he’s ever seen and hopes to follow in his footsteps by enjoying a trophy-laden spell at Old Trafford.
While silverware hasn’t come his way yet, though, Fernandes has impressed immensely by providing 12 goals and eight assists in 22 appearances. It helped United finish third in the Premier League and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
His growing importance was been so telling, in fact, that people are already labeling him as the ‘new Ronaldo’ at Old Trafford.
“United can’t challenge Liverpool or Man City. Not yet. There’s been massive damage, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Evra told The Guardian.
“When they wanted to sign Bruno Fernandes, Ole texted me. I asked for advice from Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano says: ‘Bruno’s a good guy and very professional.’
“I say: ‘Ole, I’ve spoken with Cristiano. Let’s go for it.’ And Fernandes had a massive impact. Without him, I don’t think we would have qualified for the Champions League.”
The former United full-back then disclosed how Fernandes has helped Paul Pogba flourish since returning from injury.
“Paul’s really misunderstood,” said Evra. “People talk more about his hairstyle but he’s a great kid, a shy boy actually.
“It was important for Fernandes to relieve that attention on Paul. It wasn’t fair. Paul is a happy person and we have been close so long. He Facetimed me yesterday at 11:30 pm. I said: ‘Paul, I’m in bed. Let me sleep.’”
