Better than Amad: Man Utd ready bid for £67m Bruno Fernandes replacement

It feels as if this summer is make-or-break for Ruben Amorim’s long-term future at Manchester United.

Amorim’s stint in charge to date hasn’t gone to plan whatsoever, with 17 wins and 17 defeats coming his way from 42 contests, culminating in the Red Devils having to stomach a shambolic 15th final place finish in the Premier League.

Therefore, the recruitment in and out of Old Trafford this chaotic transfer window has to be spot on, with the underperformers nearly nailing down the signature of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha to offer up at least one ray of much-needed positivity.

Unfortunately, that excitement has been short-lived as modern-day United great Bruno Fernandes now reportedly edges closer to the exit door. But his departure could be softened immediately by one bold replacement entering the Theatre of Dreams.

Man Utd lining up Fernandes replacement

The graphic above gives you just a flavour as to why the Portuguese ace leaving would be a disaster, with the 30-year-old just fresh off a combined 19 goals and assists in Premier League action, despite United sinking to 15th spot.

But, Amorim and Co. would surely bounce back from Fernandes’ exit swiftly if they were successful in landing Sporting star Pedro Goncalves, with a new report from Portuguese outlet A Bola – via Sport Witness – indicating that he is being lined up as a like-for-like replacement.

The suggestion is that the Red Devils are ‘considering making an offer’ for the 26-year-old, with any move likely to be ramped if Fernandes departs – although it could still take place regardless.

Losing the experience United number eight to Al-Hilal for mega millions would be able to finance the deal, with the report further stating that Amorim’s ex-employers would only cash in if his €80m (£67m) release clause is met.

How Goncalves compares to Amad

Signed the exciting “creative force” – as he’s been glowingly branded by football analyst Ben Mattinson – wouldn’t be purchased to just plug the gap of Fernandes.

The former Wolves flop is also a tricky customer down the left or right flank, thus representing a potential upgrade down the channels than another of United’s bright gems in Amad Diallo.

Goncalves will be chomping at the bit to change his negative Wolves narrative if he does return to England, having already caused ripples when scoring this blinder away at Arsenal in 2023.

Amad has also had to bounce back from his own difficulties at Old Trafford, albeit while tallying up 11 goals and ten assists last season as the United ship regularly hit icebergs.

That said, the “incredible” Goncalves – as he has been praised by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – might well have the beating of the Ivorian down either channel or through the centre as a number ten when assessing his glittering career numbers in Lisbon.

When assessing the table above, it’s clear how flexible Goncalves can be for the cause, with an amazingly high 30 goals and assists tallied up from 36 games centrally, on top of also registering a combined 105 goal contributions down either wing in the Portuguese capital.

On the flip side, Amad, who is still raw at an earlier stage in his career, has just 26 goal contributions overall when donning a Red Devils strip, meaning he might well have to forfeit some first-team action if the Bruno-like target does join the building.

The overriding anxiety will be that Goncalves has already flopped once in England, which could result in another high-profile failure coming up on his CV.

But, Fernandes entered the English game back in 2020 with a similar hype surrounding his name, having amassed an astounding 113 goals and assists from just 137 appearances for Sporting.

Consequently, it just feels written in the stars that this deal could go down as a similarly golden hit, as Goncalves aims to be a transformative figure that guides United to better days.