Serie A side Como take on Manchester United tomorrow in what will be a huge game for the lakeside club and their entire history. Sporting director Carlalberto Ludi has now opened up about him joking about landing Bruno Fernandes in the past.
Ludi spoke to the press on the eve of the tie and hailed Fernandes, while also revealing a hilarious backstory involving the Portuguese and Raphael Varane.
The Italian said – via Tuttomercatoweb: “Reuniting with Bruno Fernandes was a dream, a hope. He’s a friend, a person with whom I have a great relationship, and meeting him again in the Champions League is even more beautiful. Bruno has always been out of place for us, being the captain of Manchester United. When we signed Varane, we spoke and joked about it.”
Ludi had played with a very young Fernandes during his playing days at Novara and took him under his wing right after his move from Portugal.
He had further praise for the midfielder, having spotted his attitude early on in his spell in Italy.
“It’s not easy to choose a memory about Bruno, but I’ll say this: in his first or second game, he came on against Lanciano a few minutes from time, we were losing 1-0, and the first thing he did was shoot from 30 meters and he didn’t even hit the target–that shows he has character.”
“He then thought about helping us. He’s an extraordinary guy; everyone can comment on thefootballer. A friend and a guy like few others in the world of football.”
Italy crucial to development
While the Manchester United captain is a global superstar, his experiences in Italy completed shaped him as a footballer and gave him the platform to truly become what he is now.
He had shown glimpses of his creative ability during his time at Sampdoria and Udinese too, as it convinced Sporting into landing him and taking the punt. It was a career path that now seems natural and Ludi has played a big role in all of that.
Kaustubh Pandey – GIFN