Fernandes has already made an impact for United on and off the field and gets his chance to further impress against City’s stars in the Manchester derby

For Bruno Fernandes, it was a 48-hour spell like no other he had experienced before. It began on Wednesday January 29 this year. Shortly after bidding a tearful farewell to his Sporting Lisbon team-mates, Fernandes, his two agents, his wife Ana Pinho and their little daughter Matilde were whisked away in a private jet to Manchester, where he was ushered through the airport by burly security guards. They were driven in a people carrier to Carrington for the first part of Fernandes’s medical. After a night in the Lowry Hotel, Fernandes returned for part two: scans, cardiovascular tests, and a medical check-up were completed.

When Fernandes finally signed his five-and-a-half-year contract, he must have thought he was done for the day, but he was not.