It’s the third month of the NextGoalWinner Premier League Player of the Month award, and this month is the first time that the award is heading away from Tottenham Hotspur, and up to Manchester and the Portuguese sensation, that is revitalising the red side of the city… Bruno Fernandes.

Admittedly, Bruno has had a mixed bag of results, winning only 5 from 8 games he was involved in throughout November in both club and international competition, however his individual performances have led to a big victory in the Nations League, big wins in the Premier League and in Manchester United’s mixed Champions League results.

So, as always, let us hopefully explain well enough why we have chosen Bruno as this months winner, and let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) if you agree or disagree and any debate you have over our choice.

The Stats

In November, Bruno Fernandes averaged a game of football every 3.75 days, which is quite impressive considering the travel that he has undertaken alongside this, playing just 3 of the 8 games at home in Manchester this month. In those games, Bruno played a significant role in almost every fixture, bagging a total of 6 goals, 1 assist and 3 man of the match awards for his performances.

The month starter fairly poorly, with defeat to Arsenal and a shocking performance in Istanbul. However, he quickly righted those wrongs with wins in 5 out of 6 remaining fixtures, and the only other loss coming as a 1-0 to the current World champions, France, in what was a tough contest.

Bruno averaged a 7.4/10 WhoScored rating across the whole month, which again is incredibly impressive considering some of the games he has been involved in, which truly demonstrates his immense quality.

November was just another fantastic month in the career of Bruno Fernandes, and he is genuinely becoming regarded as one of United’s best ever signings in at least the last 10-15 years. I personally believe this will continue, as his personality and desire on the pitch is infectious to those around him, and has brought United back into league contention.

Match By Match

November 1st: Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal – The month hot off to a rocky patch for both Bruno and Manchester United generally. This fixture was hyped up by the TV producers, however it really failed to live up to the expectation of the early 2000s United vs Arsenal rivalries, needing just a 69th minute penalty to separate the two, underperforming sides. Bruno was fairly quiet in this one, and unable to really impact, as he was well marked and managed out of the game by Arteta’s men, with him being removed after 75 minutes, with only 1 shot (off target) and 53 touches which couldn’t breakthrough for his side.

November 4th: Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 Manchester United – Things arguably got even worse just 3 days later as United travelled to Istanbul, only to be embarrassed by defensive errors and a terrible performance which dropped crucial Champions League group points in arguably the easiest fixture in the group stage. Bruno wasn’t really at fault for this poor performance, however the whole squad will have hanged their heads in shame at the general attitude and fight they showed. Bruno played the full 90 minutes in this one, and managed just a 6.03/10, his worst rating of the whole month, thus demonstrating how things weren’t going well in the early days of this month. However, as we are about to see, things would quickly pick back up.

November 7th: Everton 1-3 Manchester United – The first victory of the month came in an impressive victory over a tough Everton side, in which Bruno Fernanes showed his class on the pitch once again. He bagged 2 of the 3 goals, and assisted the last minute strike for Cavani to secure the 3 points and his first of 3 man of the match awards, with a 9.09/10 rating and quality performance, which helped silence any doubters. Fernandes peppered Pickford’s goal, with 6 shots and 3 on target, along with making a key pass for the assist. He was a real handful in this one, and showed the reliance of United on his ability and personality as they looked to return to some sort of form, heading into the international break.

November 14th: Portugal 0-1 France – In the first of 2 international fixtures, Bruno suffered a tough 1-0 defeat to the current World champions, and a fantastic France side. Portugal held their own in this one, and battled to the end, however Fernandes was again shut out of this game as he managed just a 6.92/10 and was brought off after 72 minutes. He was a bit of a handful, having 2 shots and making 4 key passes, however it wasn’t enough to take anything away from their tough Nations League fixture.

November 17th: Croatia 2-3 Portugal – In the second international matchup, both sides put on a great spectacle for the neutral watcher, with a 5 goal display. It was a 90th minute winner that took the points for Portugal, however it was another mediocre showing from Bruno, who again seemed unable to impact the game massively and was brought off at half-time, when his side were 1-0 down. In the time he was on the pitch, he had only a 60% pass accuracy and made only 1 key pass which showed how he was unable to impact the game, unlike his replacement Trincão who impressed on his arrival.

November 21st: Manchester United 1-0 West Bromwich Albion – Back to the league for Bruno, and he showed everyone that again he was crucial to this club side, as he bagged the games only goal and took home his 2nd man of the match award. While the month got off to a shaky start, and a mediocre international break, it was games such as this one where Bruno showed his class and quality, in being able to break down a resolute WBA side, and showed his composure as he netted ANOTHER penalty for United. Whilst this technique of relying on Fernandes for penalty victories isn’t sustainable, he is showing some class and composure in his performances. Bruno was again a handful in this game as he made 6 shots in total, and 6 key passes which demonstrates how crucial he is to finding ways through tough, resolute defences like West Brom put out.

November 24th: Manchester United 4-1 Istanbul Basaksehir – This club form helped him and his side to claim revenge on Istanbul, as the return fixture ensured they weren’t to be shown up again, and Bruno seemed determined to not allow any slip ups in Europe again. This fixture brought about goal number 4 & 5, along with the 3rd man of the match award, made even more impressive by the speed at which he made an impact, being brought off at just 57 minutes into the game. In under an hour, Bruno was able to bag his 2 goals, have a total of 7 shots and make 3 key passes, earning him 8.84/10 and a nice 30 minute+ rest after what had already been a hectic month.

November 29th: Southampton 2-3 Manchester United – In the last fixture of the month, United again were making a challenge of the game, and relied on Bruno to contribute with 1 of the goals, and then the brilliance of Cavani to take all 3 points in a game that looked like it was slipping away after going 2-0 down in the opening 33 minutes. Bruno’s 6th goal in the month was the catalyst for a comeback as he scored in the 60th minute to set United on their way to a great result. He was admittedly not the hero of this fixture, however still displayed the fighting, never give up, spirit that United so desperately needed after the first 45 minutes. With 8 shots in total, and 1 key pass, Bruno showed he wasn’t going to let the 3 points escape him, and this was arguably one of the performances that sum up Bruno as a player. When United’s heads may be dropping, he brought that spark and determination that resulted in a fantastic comeback victory. Without a doubt, had Bruno not been involved in this fixture, United would have lost by even more, and not just because of his goal, but the determination to never give in and never lose. He is the epitome of what footballers should show, and while it may annoy some of the people around him, it is clearly getting results.