Gary Neville has claimed that Bruno Fernandes is currently Manchester United’s most talented player.
The Red Devils have a pretty decent squad when everyone’s available, but they have struggled to keep their key players fit. One player who rarely ever misses a game is Manchester United skipper Fernandes.
Gary Neville says Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United’s best player
Manchester United signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon for £47 million in January 2020 (Goal).
The Portugal international hit the ground running at Old Trafford and his numbers have been extraordinary over the last few years.
Fernandes has scored 70 goals and provided 59 assists in a Manchester United shirt so far. That is a very good return for a midfielder, and the Red Devils would’ve been in a much worse place if he wasn’t in their squad.
Gary Neville was speaking about the most talented player at Manchester United right now, and he, like Ally McCoist, believes Fernandes is the best.
However, the pundit claimed that Erik ten Hag has given him a free role on the pitch, which is something that would never happen if he played under someone like Pep Guardiola.
Neville said on the latest episode of Stick to Football: “I think about Bruno Fernandes (as the most talented player at Manchester United) and I watched him on Sunday and he is obviously the best player in terms of talent but he is everywhere.
“He is left-wing… do you know something, I have been thinking about that a lot in the last 48 hours, he must be being told ‘go and do what you want’. If Pep Guardiola plays out of position for like a minute or two minutes they are on the sidelines saying get back in.
“I think Ten Hag is actually giving him the freedom to go there, there and there. Which means you can never have a combination or a pattern. Because you have your main midfield player everywhere on the pitch.
“It’s almost a bit 20 years ago, where you’d give your number 10 licence to play, that’s gone now – you have to fit within a pattern and combination. But that’s the bit where I think Bruno Fernandes must be being told to go everywhere because I don’t see Ten Hag or a coach saying get back into position.”
Fernandes can be frustrating but he’s still incredible
Watching Bruno Fernandes can sometimes be one of the most frustrating things in football.
When things aren’t going his way, he often throws a tantrum on the pitch, blames everyone else and just becomes really annoying.
However, nobody can dispute his importance for Manchester United. When they need someone to come up with the goods, the Portugal international has the ability to step up, and he has done that on numerous occasions already.
If Manchester United have any hope of getting into the top four this season, Fernandes will have to be the man to lead them there.