Manchester United have completed the €55 million (£47m/$60m) signing of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting, with the midfielder penning a five-and-a-half-year contract at Old Trafford.

A long-running transfer saga has finally been brought to a close, with the Red Devils snapping up the Portugal international after pursuing him throughout the winter window .

With Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay sidelined through injury, United have found themselves short in an important area of the field, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made reinforcements in the engine room a top priority for January.

Fernandes’ arrival should help to address those shortfalls, with the 25-year-old arriving in English football with a big reputation.

This is not the first spell that the 25-cap Portuguese has spent outside of his homeland, with a four-year spell in Italy between 2013 and 2017 seeing Fernandes turn out for Udinese and Sampdoria.

It is, however, over recent seasons that his stock has risen considerably.

United are buying into his current ability and future potential, with the hope being that value can be found in a big-money transfer.

Fernandes promised to give his all to the club’s cause before thanking Solskjaer at his unveiling, stating: “My love of Manchester United really started when I used to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play and ever since then I have been a big fan of this great club.

“For me to now play for Manchester United feels incredible, I have worked hard to get to this moment and I can promise the fans that I will give everything for the badge to help bring us more success and trophies. I want to thank Sporting for everything they have done for me.

“It is surreal to hear the nice words that have been said about me from players that used to play for this team. A massive thank you to Ole and everyone at Manchester United for the trust they have shown in me and I can’t wait to start to repay that on the pitch.”

Fernandes will need to hit the ground running, having arrived in Manchester midway through another inconsistent campaign for the Red Devils, and will face added pressure from his price tag.

United will, however, the new midfielder at their disposal when they return to action on Saturday with a Premier League home date against Wolves.