Despite crashing out of the UEFA Champions League, Manchester United is making a case for itself as the hottest team in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have won five of their last six games in the league (the other being a 0-0 draw with crosstown rival Manchester City), and they've got a favourable schedule through the remainder of December. With a game in hand on every team ahead of them, the sixth-place Red Devils could make a serious run for the top of the standings during the congested holiday period.
Much of United's recent success comes down to the stellar play of Bruno Fernandes, who has been playing at a world-class level since arriving at Old Trafford at the end of the January 2020 transfer window. Watching the 26-year-old midfield maestro tends to bring up the question of just how influential he is on United's fate — his goal and assists have directly won nearly half of the club's 23 points — and it's the topic of this week's "Shoot-Out."
Hosts Steve Bower and Greg Brady ponder whether United is a one-man team, and if so whether the club is the biggest example of a one-man team in the entire Premier League.
While names like Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace and Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin popped up as examples of oversized influence at current clubs, United's stature as the winningest team in the Premier League means Fernandes will get all the attention. And rightfully so, said Bower.
"Over the years, they've had two players consistently at a high standard for each position and they're miles away from it at the moment," Bower said of United's current roster. "And Bruno Fernandes, he has surprised me. I knew he was a talent — I hadn't seen an awful lot of him [before he joined United], I'd seen snippets — but for the guy to come in in January, which is hard enough in itself, not have a preseason with his teammates, into a struggling team ... and just propel them into the top three [last season] and into the semifinals of two cup competitions ... his influence was absolutely immense."
Watch the entire episode of "Shoot-Out," where Bower and Brady also discuss Liverpool's potential transfer targets, above or on DAZN Canada's YouTube page.