Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes salutes Leeds United winger Raphinha's arrival to the Premier League

MANCHESTER United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has hailed new Leeds United winger Raphinha's arrival to the Premier League.
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Portugal international Fernandes spent the 2018-19 season with Raphinha at Sporting Lisbon with Fernandes having been at Sporting for a year when Raphinha joined from Vitória Guimarães in May 2018.

Raphinha then departed for Rennes the following September with Fernandes the first to make the move to the Premier League when joining the Red Devils for an initial £47m in January 2020.

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Eight months later, the duo are now reunited but in rivalry in the Premier League with Raphinha having sealed a £17m switch to Leeds on international transfer deadline day.

TEAM MATES: Raphinha, right, and Bruno Fernandes, left, in action for Sporting Lisbon during the 2019 Taca de Portugal final against Porto which Sporting won 5-4 on penalties. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images.TEAM MATES: Raphinha, right, and Bruno Fernandes, left, in action for Sporting Lisbon during the 2019 Taca de Portugal final against Porto which Sporting won 5-4 on penalties. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images.
TEAM MATES: Raphinha, right, and Bruno Fernandes, left, in action for Sporting Lisbon during the 2019 Taca de Portugal final against Porto which Sporting won 5-4 on penalties. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images.

Taking to Instagram, Raphinha said he was "very happy for this new challenge in my career" and thanked everyone involved and Fernandes, with his 2.8m followers, posted a congratulations response putting "welcome to the Premier League brother" accompanied with a flexed bicep and a red heart.

The duo are in line to lock horns in the last game before Christmas when Leeds visit Old Trafford for a game scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 19.

Fernandes and Raphinha helped Sporting seal a cup double during the 2018-19 campaign with the side having won the Taca de Portugal and Taca de Liga, both after beating Porto on penalties in both finals as part of a season in which they finished third in the league with Fernandes top scorer with 20 goals.

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Thank you Laura Collins