The Roy Keane effect: How Bruno Fernandes has transformed Man Utd’s fortunes
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Updated 03/07/2020 at 11:29 GMT
Manchester United’s fortunes have turned around since Bruno Fernandes joined the club in January. Paul Parker assesses his impact and casts his mind back to Roy Keane’s influence when joining back in 1993.
Bruno Fernandes demands more from his team-mates - just like Roy Keane, says Paul Parker
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Fernandes has six goals and four assists since moving to United, who are in the FA Cup semi-finals, harbour hopes of Europa League glory in August, and have a top-four place in the Premier League very much in their sights.
So how has one man transformed their fortunes?
“Because everything has been quite poor before him,” Parker said. “That’s not to put him down, it just highlights how poor they were in the middle before his arrival.
“There was no creativity or improvisation. There was a lot of pressure on Fred and Nemanja Matic, but there was no one in there who could add the finishing touches to what they were doing further back. They needed a Fernandes.
“Now Matic looks like a different player. His pass the other day against Brighton, he never did that before, but when you see the space he’s given you can appreciate how good a player he really is.
“Fernandes has made a massive difference, he has grabbed people and said, ‘This is what I’m doing, what are you doing next?’
“He has asked questions of players, brought them out of their shells and made them look better, purely because of what he’s doing. It has done them a lot of good.
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Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his sides first goal with teammate Paul Pogba of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 19, 2020
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“It was always the sceptics out there who thought Fernandes and Paul Pogba couldn’t play together, I don’t know how that could come about. They’ve got good energy, they’re great passers, both see things other people don’t. And if you get a good holding player who can keep feeding them, there’s no better player than Matic when you get him right.
They’re both making Nemanja Matic look like a better player, they’re all complementing each other, and it’s one of the best midfield combinations in the league. You have a strength that was a massive weakness since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
CANTONA AND THEN KEANE TRANSFORMED UNITED
Parker was at United when Eric Cantona arrived back in 1992, but the former England full-back went into greater detail about Keane’s impact when the midfielder joined a year later from Nottingham Forest.
“We were a good side when Cantona came, and had all the tools to become league champions,” Parker added. “He was the big cog that got the machine rolling better. The smaller cogs moved a lot better when he came in. That’s the difference he made.
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Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona with the FA Cup and Premiership trophy on their arrival at Manchester's Victoria station.
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“The difference is that Fernandes has made an average side look a good side.
It shows you don’t need five or six signings to go and get an impact, maybe one player can reignite other players around them because they appreciate and respect that individual.
“Roy Keane made a difference when he arrived in 1993. All of a sudden there was a competition between him and Paul Ince.
“Incey felt that he was a better player than Roy Keane, and wanted to prove a point. Keane was always going to try and prove he was better than everybody in their position. He thought he was better than me at right-back, better than [Denis] Irwin at left-back, a better centre-half than [Steve] Bruce and [Gary] Pallister, and I’m sure he always believed he would be a better midfielder for United than Bryan Robson. I’m sure he thought that way, because if he didn’t then that wouldn’t be the Roy Keane I know.
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Paul Parker played alongside some of Manchester United's greatest figures
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“That’s a player who dragged people to their level. The way he would make those runs, all of a sudden you think to yourself, ‘If I don’t run forward 10 yards on the back of Roy running 20 yards, there’s going to be a massive gap and people are going to blame me.’
“People had to work harder to fill spaces Roy left behind when he went on a crusade to win the ball or get forward and take an opportunity in the box.
“Roy was just an enthusiast. He wanted to be the best and never suffered fools. It wouldn’t matter who you were, he would call you out if you weren’t doing something.
“If you tried to laugh about it he would virtually say ‘I’m being f-ing serious, you were ****’ – that’s Roy.”
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