After paying only €40,000 for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, a former director praises him.

While at Novara, Cristiano Giaretta took a chance on a teenage Portuguese player, and he is glad to have contributed to the development of the current Manchester United captain.

Bruno Fernandes’ “rock-solid mentality” has been praised by former Novara and Udinese sporting director Cristiano Giaretta, who signed the young player for just €40,000.

While employed in Italy, Giaretta twice signed a young Fernandes, who is currently in the same position at Watford in the Championship. The midfielder gained recognition in Italy after spending eight years in the Boavista junior system in Portugal. Novara gave him his first opportunity to play adult football.

In 2013, Giaretta relocated to Udinese, bringing the young Fernandes with him. In 2016, he was sold to Sampdoria. The Manchester United captain, a Portuguese international, is happy of the part he played in developing a “amazing player.”

Giaretta told the Watford Observer, “I was the only sporting director in Italy who went out and signed this young guy from Portugal for €40,000.” Bruno Fernandes came with me on my trip from Novara to Udinese because I could tell he was an incredible player.

“We probably spent €2.5 million on him. A few years later, Bruno Fernandes signed a contract worth a total of 100 million euros, including bonuses, to join Manchester United.

Deals do not always turn out well. Other times, they don’t for a variety of reasons. As crucial to Fernandes’ ascent as his exceptional technical skill was his unwavering mindset.

And the reason for that is that there are too many variables in football to regulate. You are foolish if you believe you can, as you are incapable of doing so.

“Observing a player is insufficient because you cannot know what goes through their mind. You will have a better understanding of the player’s mental state once you have signed them and are collaborating with them. It will then become apparent to you whether or not you performed successfully.