Rio Ferdinand has hailed Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes, saying only Lionel Messi betters him for creating and scoring goals. Having endured a huge slump in form last season, Fernandes looks revitalised under Erik ten Hag with the attacking midfielder scoring 10 and making 13 assists across all competitions this campaign. He has been key for United on their quest to win a ‘treble’ and secure a top four finish in the Premier League, and has skippered his side in the absence of club captain Harry Maguire. The 28-year-old was particularly brilliant at Nottingham Forest last Sunday as his side comfortably won 2-0, being named man of the match by Gary Neville. And he received further praise by another United legend in the form of Ferdinand, who believes Fernandes will only get better once Christian Eriksen is back to full fitness.
‘His passing, he’s creating chances. His stats, only Messi rivals him in terms of goal involvements since he signed for United,’ the former defender said on his Vibe with Five podcast. ‘I’m not saying he is on Messi’s level, no one is saying that Bruno is on Messi’s level, he’s not, that’s obvious. But only Messi is above him in those stats.’ Ferdinand is right, as the stats show that since moving to Old Trafford in January 2020, Fernandes is one of only two players in Europe’s top five leagues to reach a half-century for both goals and assists, the other being Messi. Since his Red Devils’ debut, the Portugal international has scored 60 goals and made 52 assists in 175 matches for the club. Meanwhile, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has recorded 81 goals and 59 assists in the same time period for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Sadly for Ten Hag he will be without Fernandes when United travel to Sevilla for the second-leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday, with the player suspended after picking up a yellow card during the dramatic first-leg in Manchester that ended 2-2. Rio Ferdinand has praised Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes, claiming that only Lionel Messi is ahead of him when it comes to creating and scoring goals. Fernandes has been revitalised under Erik ten Hag this season, scoring 10 goals and making 13 assists across all competitions as United look to win a ‘treble’ and secure a top four finish in the Premier League. He was particularly impressive at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, being named man of the match by Gary Neville.
Ferdinand believes Fernandes will only get better once Christian Eriksen is back to full fitness, saying: ‘His passing, he’s creating chances. His stats, only Messi rivals him in terms of goal involvements since he signed for United. I’m not saying he is on Messi’s level, no one is saying that Bruno is on Messi’s level, he’s not, that’s obvious. But only Messi is above him in those stats. He needs Eriksen to go to that other level. Eriksen, the amount of easy passes he makes that are just great for team-mates.’ The stats show that since moving to Old Trafford in January 2020, Fernandes is one of only two players in Europe’s top five leagues to reach a half-century for both goals and assists, the other being Messi. Since his Red Devils’ debut, the Portugal international has scored 60 goals and made 52 assists in 175 matches for the club. Meanwhile, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has recorded 81 goals and 59 assists in the same time period for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately for Ten Hag, Fernandes will be suspended for United’s second-leg Europa League quarter-final tie against Sevilla on Thursday after picking up a yellow card during the dramatic first-leg in Manchester that ended 2-2.