January 2020: A world without Covid-19 and hope for another miserable season at Manchester United.
The Red Devils were devoid of inspiration, creativity and guile going into the year that changed so much. But a matter of weeks before the UK government plunged us into a nationwide lockdown, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his club pushed through a move that would shake-up the Premier League in its own right.
Enter, Bruno Fernandes.
United had been after the midfielder for months, more tentatively attempting to prise him away from Sporting Lisbon over the summer before going for the jugular in January. With Paul Pogba sidelined and Marcus Rashford playing through the pain of multiple injuries, Solskjaer knew that his team needed a second-half spark that could salvage something their faltering campaign.
On the eve of transfer deadline day, lightning struck. The Red Devils stumped up an initial £46.6million for Fernandes, who wasted no time in declaring that his dream and had become a reality. "My love of Manchester United really started when I used to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play and ever since then I have been a big fan of this great club," the Portugal international said upon signing.
"For me to now play for Manchester United feels incredible, I have worked hard to get to this moment and I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies.... A massive thank you to Ole and everyone at Manchester United for the trust they have shown in me and I can't wait to start to repay that on the pitch."
And Fernandes wasn't the only man making promises, as Solskjaer added in the same fateful club statement: "We have been tracking Bruno for many months and everyone here has been tremendously impressed with all his attributes and what he will bring to this team.
"Most importantly he is a terrific human being with a great personality and his leadership qualities are clear for all to see. Bruno's goals and assists stats speak for themselves, he will be a fantastic addition to our team and he will help us push on in the second part of the season."
So, more than two years later, how have those promises held up?
In Solskjaer's case, the Norwegian was spot on - no pun intended, given Fernandes' penalty-scoring ability. The No.18 had an instant impact on his new side, contributing to five goals from midfield in the four games which followed his relatively quiet debut.
Tenacious and quick-witted with the ball at his feet, it didn't take long for the Old Trafford faithful to be convinced both in the stadium and on the sofa during lockdown. Behind the scenes, his personality began to shine through, too, emerging as a leader in a dressing room in desperate need of them and making himself a favourite around their Carrington training complex.
"The first day he was in the club, he shook everyone's hand," Solskjaer revealed to The High Performance Podcast. "He didn't come in here thinking 'I'm the big shot. You follow me'. No, he shook absolutely every staff members' hand."
As coronavirus came along, Fernandes and co would be forced to take a three-month break from action. It didn't change anything for him, however, racking up six goals and four assists in the Red Devils' final nine league games. His efforts were adequately rewarded, with United qualifying for the Champions League on the final day - a game in which he scored the decisive goal.
Even his three appearances in the FA Cup were impressive, while Solskjaer's side also made the last four of Europa League, much thanks to his four goal contributions in five knockout games.
But as the semi-final losses demonstrate, the trophy cabinet is glaring evidence of his promise not being fulfilled.
Even in the next term, when the Red Devils finished second to Manchester City and went one better in the Europa League, United failed to win a trophy. Fernandes tallied a whopping 28 goals and 17 assists in a mammoth 58 games, but a crushing penalty shoot-out defeat to Villarreal was the beginning of Solskjaer's end, sacked only six months later after a horrendous start to this season.
Fernandes - who is the reigning recipient of the coveted Sir Matt Busby Player of the Award - hasn't shirked from discussing his ambitions, though, as after signing a new four-year contract last month, he made it clear that his time at the club had not been good enough at this stage.
"There is so much more that I want to achieve here, and I know that is the same for the rest of the squad and staff," the 27-year-old stated. "More than anything, we want to give the fans the success that they deserve. We have shared some great moments over the last years, but the best is yet to come from myself and this team."
Have your say! Will Fernandes eventually deliver on his Man Utd promise? Comment your prediction below.
What will become of his latest promise, then? A well-taken goal - his 50th for the club, no less - in a much-needed 3-0 win against Brentford on Monday was more than welcome, although Fernandes and his teammates' efforts have been so lacklustre under interim boss Ralf Rangnick that the Champions League is already out of reach.
Post-match, Fernandes once again affirmed his desire to compete at the top table of European football ahead of Erik ten Hag 's arrival as their club's new manager. "It is a long time since I scored," he told Sky Sports. "Obviously I am happy but those numbers don't count for me. I want to get numbers with trophies and not with goals."
Such as life, it may take a while to get what he wants, but Fernandes clearly hasn't forgotten his so-far failed promise.
