Bruno Fernandes is the eighth player Manchester United have bought from a club in Portugal after a completing a deal that could be worth up to £67m over time.
United fans will hope that the goalscoring midfielder brings creativity to the squad as it has been sorely lacking this season.
It would be unfair to pass any judgement on Fernandes before he’s even kicked a ball in United colours, but here’s a ranking of every other player United have signed from a Portuguese club…
7. Bebe
Bought From: Vitoria Guimaraes - £7m (2010)
Raised by his grandmother and later a local church after being abandoned by his parents, Bebe’s transfer to Old Trafford in 2010 was very much a rags to riches story.
The young forward, who cost £7m just weeks after signing for Vitoria Guimaraes for free, joined United after he was recommended to the club by former assistant manager Carlos Queiroz. That opinion was a trusted one, as Sir Alex Ferguson had never actually seen Bebe play.
But he badly struggled with the step up and appeared only seven times for the club.
6. Marcos Rojo
Bought From: Sporting CP - £16m (2014)
United bought Marcos Rojo as part of a big spending summer in 2014, impressed by the Argentine’s performances at that year’s World Cup. The versatile defender wanted to move so badly that he even refused to train and was disciplined by Sporting.
A promising start at Old Trafford quickly disintegrated and Rojo spent a lot of his time with United either injured or out of favour. He did get a run of games under Jose Mourinho in 2016/17, but his season was ended by a long-term knee injury.
Rojo is still contracted to United but has joined boyhood team Estudiantes on loan.
5. Diogo Dalot
Bought From: Porto – £19m (2018)
Diogo Dalot looked to be a shrewd United buy when he first arrived as a teenager from Porto, even with only eight first-team appearances under his belt at that stage of his career.
The reality has been a little different as injury has largely characterised the youngster’s 18 months in Manchester so far. He has impressed on occasion, but staying fit has been the issue.
At still only 20 years of age, however, Dalot is certainly still young enough to thrive long-term.
4. Victor Lindelof
Bought From: Benfica - £31m (2017)
United’s 2017 capture of Victor Lindelof from Benfica was a long time in the making and the Swede got off to a rocky start when he initially struggled to break into the team, despite his sizeable price tag.
Then he endured that horror show against Huddersfield on his full Premier League debut, and was cruelly and prematurely written off as another flop.
Lindelof has vastly improved, though, and was United’s best defender by far in a difficult 2018/19 and has been the automatic starter alongside record signing Harry Maguire.
3. Anderson
Bought From: Porto - £25m (2007)
Regard Anderson as a ‘flop’ all you want, but the facts of the matter are these: he won the Premier League and Champions League in his first season at United and was named the best young player in the world at that time in the 2008 Golden Boy standings.
He won three further Premier League titles, although he increasingly struggled for game time.
Injuries and persistent fitness trouble ultimately derailed Anderson’s United career from 2010 onwards, and he quit football altogether at the age of just 31 last September.
2. Nani
Bought From: Sporting CP - £17m (2007)
Compared to other more consistent players at a time when United were among the best teams in the world, Nani arguably got a bit of a raw deal at Old Trafford. But how the current squad has been crying out for a player of his quality this season.
Injury took its toll towards the end of his United career, but Nani had four very good seasons out of seven in Manchester and won eight major trophies, including the Champions League.
He was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2010/11 when United won a record breaking 19th league title and was voted the club’s Players’ Player of the Year that same season.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Bought From: Sporting CP - £12.24m (2003)
Where do you start with one of the greatest players United have ever had?
Cristiano Ronaldo was just 18 when he arrived at Old Trafford from Portugal, inheriting David Beckham’s old shirt under weighty expectation. But he impressed from day one and was the focal point of a new title winning team by the age of 22 in 2006/07.
The following year, he took things to a whole new level, scoring 42 goals in all competitions as United won the Premier League and Champions League. He won another domestic crown the following year, before the club relinquished and allowed him a dream move to Real Madrid.
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Source : 90min