Sir Alex Ferguson once admitted his regret over failing to sign Chelsea’s midfield goalscoring machine Frank Lampard.
Writing in his autobiography, the legendary Manchester United boss said: “Lampard has been unbelievable. I don’t think a midfield player will be able to do that figure [27 goals in a season] again. It’s quite phenomenal.
Lampard scored more than 200 goals for Chelsea
He added: “I must say we looked at him when he was at West Ham as a young player and I maybe regret not having done it.
“Where else could I get 200 goals?”
A whole generation later, Manchester United might’ve finally found the answer to Sir Alex’s question.
The Red Devils are heavily linked with a January swoop for another man who loves scoring loads of goals from midfield.
In fact, Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, the transfer target in question, actually smashed Lampard’s goalscoring record last season.
Bruno Fernandes could be a Manchester United player by the end of the month
The Chelsea legend previously held the record for the most goals from midfield in one season after scoring a staggering 27 times during the 2009/10 campaign.
That was until Fernandes went nuts last season, scoring 31 goals for Sporting in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, his form attracted interest from numerous top clubs across Europe, with Manchester United among them.
But against the odds, Fernandes stayed at Sporting, and has picked up where he left off last season.
The 25-year-old has already bagged eight goals and seven assists this season, which is more than any current midfielder at Old Trafford.
It’s no wonder the Red Devils have renewed their interest – and reports claim they could wrap up a £65million deal this month.
According to the Mirror, Sporting have already rejected one player-plus-cash offer from the Red Devils for Fernandes, so United will return with a 100 per cent cash bid to match Sportings £65m valuation.
And the midfielder’s stats suggest he could totally transform the midfield at Old Trafford…
Fernandes in 2018/19 Primeira Liga
Appearances: 33
Goals: 20
Assists: 13
Shots per game: 3.6
Key passes per game: 3.2
Dribbles per game: 0.9
Whoscored.com rating: 7.83
Fernandes in 2019/20 Primeira Liga
Appearances: 15
Goals: 8
Assists: 7
Shots per game: 3.6
Key passes per game: 3.7
Dribbles per game: 1.7
Whoscored.com rating: 7.89
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