Manchester United finished eighth in the Premier League last season, and they're not breaching 13th by the end of the current campaign. The Red Devils are regressing, so it's time to move away from a potential-focused transfer strategy and start signing players who can make an instant impact.

Recruitment has arguably been the biggest culprit of the club's 12-year-long decline. You wouldn't need more than two hands to count the successful buys during that period. The number of arrivals who made it immediately clear that they were going to be just fine at Old Trafford is even smaller. Not many in United's illustrious history have elevated the team as quickly as Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese maestro landed in a £47million move in January 2020, having directly contributed to 89 goals in two-and-a-half seasons at Sporting.

Prolific exploits overseas don't always translate into Premier League football, but it was no problem for Fernandes.

After notching 12 goals and eight assists in 22 appearances in his first half-season, he plundered 28 goals and 18 assists throughout his maiden full campaign.

Fast-track to today, Fernandes sits on 19 goals and 16 assists and has reached double figures in both metrics in all five of his full seasons in Manchester.