Manuel Fernandes is the last purchase of Lokomotiv, but who really know well who is he? Thanks to the friends of calcioturco.com now this is possible. In fact, here you can find a complete article which explain all that must be known about the 28 years old midfielder. Enjoy it!
Born in Lisbon (1986) Manuel Fernandes is 28 years-old: at the peak of his career he has decided to sign for Lokomotiv Moscow, one of the Russian football giants.
First of all, Fernandes' number 4 should not mislead - he's the classic "number 10" kind of player. He is able to play in different positions on the pitch: he clearly prefers to play behind one or two strikers, but in emergency he did quite well as a central midfielder too.
Portuguese wonder-kid since his career's roots, he showed his football technique for the first time in Benfica's academy. Despite his characteristics - he's complete, dynamic and fast-moving, a real offensive director - Fernandes never realized completely his enormous potential. There are some reasons to his failures, though. First, luck: his move to Portsmouth after a convincing 1-year-long loan period, did never take place, as the English club didn't buy him at the end of the season. The following year, same history: in spite of his good performances, Everton sent him back to Lisbon.
So the Portuguese midfielder moved to Valencia for a shocking 16-million-move, but injuries stopped his class. Back to Everton (again, on loan) and protagonist of a crazy transfer issue with Inter Milan - another move that didn't take place for mysterious coincidences, he decided to move to Besiktas.
The Istanbul club's seasons are maybe the most interesting of his career, and also the best to understand if his move to Lokomotiv is going to be a failure or a great bargain. Welcomed as a king by the çArsi - the Besiktas most important ultras group, Fernandes had a wondrous first season for the Istanbul Black Eagles: he adapted quickly to the hard tackles of Turkish football and his legendary assist skills made him one of the league's most desired midfielders. His perfect harmony with another Portuguese, a penalty-box ice-cold killer called Hugo Almeida, created without a doubt an incomparable pair. Fernandes had the fantasy, Almeida scored whatever his friend produced. The greatest Fernandes' weakness, however, is the lack of continuity. And after the first sensational season, the #4 slowly began to fall into a spiral.
Despite his 7 goals and 12 assists in the 2012-2013 season, Manuel Fernandes became famous also for his night-clubs' experiences, described minutely by the Turkish press. His Istanbul nights tired the Besiktas supporters out: furthermore, since Fernandes' arrival in Turkey, the Black Eagles just won a Turkish cup. The fans' dissatisfaction reached its peak this season: his mysterious injuries, mixed with sporadic good performances, convinced the board not to renew his contract.
According to some sources, Fernandes got even angrier last january, as the Ronaldinho-Besiktas transfer-saga attracted the media attention. In fact, the Ronaldinho move (that didn't even take place) was implicitly a distrust act. Moreover, the stricter Foreigner Limit in the Turkish league forced the club to sell some foreign players - including Fernandes and Almeida. These are the reasons that pushed Fernandes to say goodbye, but it's fair to say, in spite of his last period, that his skills and quality are still incontrovertible. Just his recent form is a big question mark - is he going to be the magic offensive midfielder of the first two seasons, or the lost injury-prone player of his last Besiktas' experience?
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