It's been an undeniably disappointing season of football for Manchester United this year, with the Red Devils crashing out of the League Cup and the Champions League early, constantly stumbling in the Premier League.
However, while Erik ten Hag's second season in charge has gone badly wrong, there have been a few bright sparks, with Bruno Fernandes being one of them.
The captain has managed to score 15 goals and provide 11 assists in spite of the performances of those around him.
The 29-year-old is one of few players earning their wage this season, although that's not something that can be said of a former United flop who used to earn the same amount at the Theatre of Dreams.
Bruno Fernandes' salary at Manchester United
United completed the £47m signing of Fernandes in January 2020 under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and to say he has repaid that initial investment since then would be an understatement.
The Portuguese dynamo hasn't been able to bring much success to the club in the way of trophies in the four years he's been there, but his performances have generally been spectacular.
In his first half-season at Old Trafford, he scored 12 goals and provided eight assists, meaning he entered an entirely new league, joined arguably the biggest club in the world, and immediately started averaging a goal involvement every 1.1 games – talk about an instant impact.
Appearances
230
Goals
79
Assists
64
Goal Involvements per Match
0.62
Since then, he has scored 79 goals and provided 64 assists in 230 games, and he also picked up the captain's armband under Ten Hag.
In all, it would be fair to say that he has probably earned his £240k-per-week contract, which isn't something that can be said about a former United midfielder who joined the club as a legend of the sport.
Bastian Schweinsteiger's salary at Manchester United
The player in question is Germany and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger, who joined Louis van Gaal's United side for £14.5m in the summer of 2015.
The veteran midfielder was 30 at the time, so while there wasn't an expectation that he would come in and revolutionise the team, there was a belief that he would make a difference and help the club push on under the Dutch coach, which is why they handed him a whopping £240k-per-week deal, the same amount Bruno is on today.
Unfortunately, the German's first season at Old Trafford was an underwhelming one. In his 31 appearances – ten of which were off the bench – he scored one goal, provided one assist, and was unable to prevent the club from finishing fifth, which saw Van Gaal get the sack.
The following season was José Mourinho's first in Manchester, and his arrival marked the beginning of the end of the 39-year-old's time at the club. The 121-capped international revealed on an episode of The Overlap earlier this month that he was banned from the first team dressing room and training with the first team "for no reason."
With it clear that his time with the Red Devils was over, the former Bayern ace agreed to sign for MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2017 and, with around £21.1m in wages he had earned over the previous 88 weeks, he left. Overall, the veteran midfielder left with 35 appearances, two goals and two assists to his name.
Transfer Fee
£14.5m
Wages (Total)
£240k (£21.1m)
Appearances
25
Cost per Appearance
£1m
Goals
2
Cost per Goal
£17.8m
Assists
2
Cost per Assist
£17.8m
Goal Involvements
4
Cost per Goal Involvement
£8.9m
So, when adding his transfer fee and total salary together, the Kolbermoor-born maestro cost United around £35.6m, which breaks down to £1m-per-appearance, £17.8m-per-goal, or £17.8m-per-assist, which, while not entirely his fault, can hardly be described as value for money.
Ultimately, while Schweinsteiger is a football icon, he was never going to be worth £240k-per-week to Manchester United.
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