Abhranil Roy
Manchester United are a club who are never afraid to invest in promising, young players and the latest player in line seems to be Armindo Tué Na Bangna, more commonly known as Bruma, the 21-year-old Galatasaray winger. The footballer has revealed that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will watch his performance with the Turkish giants in the 2016/17 season. The Portuguese tactician was impressed with the 21-year-old’s display as his side lost 5-2 to the Red Devils in the pre-season friendly fixture on 30 July in Sweden. In his own words, “Mourinho told me he was impressed with my performance and that if I continue I will get back into the Portugal national team,” as quoted by the Portuguese publication O Jogo.” Of course, it was amazing to hear this from Mourinho and he said he will keep an eye on how I do this season,” the youngster added. So who this guy who has grabbed the Portuguese’s attention, and what can we expect of him? Here’s a lowdown:
Profile:
He first exploded onto the scene at Sporting Lisbon during the 2012/13 season, making his first team debut in February of that year having impressed for Sporting B. Since then, he was been a regular face amongst the starting eleven for Sporting and had been causing massive problems for oppositions’ defenders. However, Bruma suffered a serious knee injury in January 2014 after which he was loaned to Turkish club Gaziantepspor as Galatasaray were forced to let him leave due to the restriction of the number of foreign players in the team. The Portuguese international spent the last season on loan at Real Sociedad and featured regularly, during his time in Spain.
Strengths:
He appears comfortable playing on either wing, cutting in from the outside and making himself an absolute nightmare to the opposition, though he is predominantly right-footed. His tenacity and willingness to commit to the cause has particularly impressed Jose, as it was those qualities which led him to score Galatasaray’s 2nd goal in that friendly match. The former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager has advised Bruma to continue his impressive form and has even advised his compatriot that he can get into the Portugal squad if he continues his run for Galatasaray. Bruma has demonstrated he can put the ball exactly where it needs to be in terms of passing and in the last season, the attacker was involved in some excellent attacking plays for his side.
Weaknesses:
He needs to work on his finishing if he’s to become a serious threat, with a number of opportunities being wasted when playing with the senior squad. Also, given his age and the horrible injury he suffered two years back, it is imperative for the man to be careful about his physique and training and prevent the injury from being a recurring problem.
Fanview:
Incase Memphis Depay fails to shine this season and Adnan Januzaj leaves, United will need an exciting young winger to fill the blanks. If he can keep his head level and work harder, there is no reason why Bruma cannot come to Old Trafford.
