The midfielder has impressed since moving to Old Trafford in January along with the executive vice-chairman is convinced they will continue moving forward.
Manchester United manager Ed Woodward believes the signing of Bruno Fernandes reveals the club are moving in the right direction.
The Red Devils is seeking to go back to the pinnacle of the Premier League, having failed to compete for major titles since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
United have been heavily criticised for their transport strategy recently, but the past two transfer windows watched them invest in expensive signings.
Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James all joined last summer, while the lengthy saga of their pursuit of Fernandes ended in January with the $55 million (#47m/$60m) signing of the Portugal international.
Fernandes, 25, was the only new arrival in the winter transfer window and has had a positive impact at Old Trafford.
The prior Sporting star establishes a goal in their 2-0 win at Chelsea before he scored and assisted in their home success against Watford on Sunday, helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s staff preserve their six-game unbeaten run.
And executive vice-chairman Woodward considers Fernandes is proof that the club is making the proper choices in the transport market, while he expects that the youth academy will help get them back on top.
“Despite being linked from the media to 111 players in January, our acquisition of just one of these – Bruno Fernandes – is a significant step in this direction, demonstrating our commitment to incorporating seasoned, world-class recruits into the exciting harvest of academy graduates which are in the heart of the growing team ” Woodward told investors.
“We will take the same planned, disciplined, approach this coming summer.
“Along with the first-team signings, somewhat under the radar, we also have made several exciting childhood acquisitions in the last year, reflecting our commitment to bringing the best talent into our academy.
“So far our academy graduates have contributed over a third of first-team enjoying minutes this year and over half of our goals, emphasising our academy’s standing among the most successful in elite-level European soccer.
“This is an important competitive advantage for us and represents a superb return on the fourfold increase in investment that we’ve made in the academy over the past couple of decades.”
