Mark Critchley of The Independent appeared on a recent edition of the ‘Football Social Daily’ podcast, hosted by Niall McCaughan, and the journalist shared his thoughts on Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes during this podcast appearance, comparing him to Rangers manager and ex-Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.
The Red Devils have been enjoying an impressive run of form lately, going unbeaten in each of their last 15 games in all competitions. This impressive run of form led to McCaughan raising the topic of how far United are away from challenging for the Premier League title.
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McCaughan asked Critchley if he is buying into the narrative that United are “a couple of signings away from challenging” during this recent edition of the Football Social Daily podcast, to which Critchley replied: “I think the jury’s still out, I think, having to watch United regularly, there’s definitely been an upturn in form over the last six months.
“There’s definitely improvement there. I think getting [Paul] Pogba and Fernandes together – I think that’s a huge benefit for them. I don’t really understand the debate either about whether the two can play together, I think Fernandes is clearly a guy that – he reminds me a lot of [Steven] Gerrard, actually, in the fact that he will get on the ball, make things happen, take shots from distance, try ambitious passes, he’s very much like that.
“Whereas Pogba, he’s United’s most talented and technical player, sure, but he doesn’t mind doing a slightly more reserved role and building attacks more with shorter passes, so I think it’s a combination that works well together.”
Does Bruno Fernandes remind you of Steven Gerrard?YES
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TIF Thoughts…
Since Fernandes, who is now valued at £43.2 million (as per Transfermarkt), moved to Old Trafford back in the January transfer window, the Portuguese international has scored six goals and provided four assists for the Red Devils after making 13 appearances for the club in all competitions. Considering that United have also been undefeated during that time, it may be fair to say that the playmaker has played a significant role for the club since joining in January.
Critchley’s comparison between the Red Devils midfielder and Gerrard, an ex-player of their historic rivals Liverpool, may not be appreciated by some Red Devils supporters, however, considering how decorated Gerrard was during his playing career, Fernandes may do well to continue getting comparisons like that.