It hasn't taken Bruno Fernandes long to make his presence felt at Manchester United. The Portuguese midfielder completed the most eye-catching – and expensive – transfer of the January window when he sealed a move from boyhood club Sporting Lisbon to United for an initial €55 million fee that could rise to €80m.
A princely sum but Fernandes has quickly established himself as the new king of Old Trafford. Nine games in to his United career, the 25-year-old Portugal international is yet to taste defeat, scoring three goals and assisting another four to keep his new club firmly in the race for the Premier League top four and into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. After a 5-0 win over LASK in the first leg, United are also all-but assured of their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. How the rest of the season will transpire amid the coronavirus pandemic remains to be seen.
But more than his goals contribution has been his presence in the team. A midfield metronome who sets the pace and leads by example, Fernandes has had a galvanizing effect on both his teammates and the supporters.
United, quite simply, are a more complete and exciting outfit since Fernandes has arrived and the difference he has made is palpable. Little surprise, then, that Fernandes already has his own song, which the Old Trafford faithful belt out on match days.
“The support I receive from the fans since the first day is amazing,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “I listen to the song they sing for me and I think, ‘I’ve been here two days and already I have a song’.
“The love they give me in this first month is really good. For now, everything is new and when you do something new, they want more, they want to see you take a risk – it doesn’t matter if you fail or not. When you are winning and you win, win, win again, it is good and the fans are more calm. But it’s normal when you lose a game, maybe the next game you take a risk, maybe they are not so happy.”
Praise has also come from former United players who have spent much of the past few years criticising the club for a series of decisions that have seen them fall behind rivals Manchester City, and more recently Liverpool, in the battle for top honours.
Ex-United full-back Gary Neville said Fernandes had “made an impact beyond what anyone could ever have expected” while former club captain Roy Keane – a man famously difficult to please – said “he has lifted everybody at the club, it’s as if he has been there for 20 years. He’s got pure quality”.
“These are big words from a big player,” Fernandes said of Keane’s comments. “This is what I want to do in Manchester: I want to be the best I can and if it’s possible, be remembered like one of the best in Manchester.”
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Andy Mitten: Faith in Solskjaer still strong one year after Man United's unforgettable win over PSG
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As if Fernandes had not already done enough to endear himself to United fans, a clip of the midfielder appearing to shush City manager Pep Guardiola during the derby – which United won 2-0, with Fernandes once again starring – has only elevated his status even higher.
“At that moment, the words he told me made me mad,” Fernandes said. “I have so much respect for Pep and for what he has won and what he has done for football, but he didn’t respect me so he didn’t deserve my respect at that moment on the pitch.”
As a Portuguese player, particularly one that came through the Sporting academy before joining United, comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo are inevitable. While Fernandes and Ronaldo are two distinctly different players, the impact the new United man has made so far has increased expectations that he can help deliver similar success for the club as his international colleague.
“Ronaldo is an inspiration for me. You start by watching Ronaldo and then you see the team and you start to see these kinds of teams that can win everything, you dream to be here,” said Fernandes, who insisted he “didn’t think twice” about joining United when the offer was made.
After signing a five-year contract, Fernandes looks set to be at United for the long haul and will have a key role to play as the club attempts to return to the top of English and European football.
“We can talk about a new start, but it is not about Bruno, it is about the team,” he said. “One player doesn’t change a team: the team changes when everyone pushes together from the same side.”
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
RESULTS
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
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Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
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Schedule
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm