Paul Scholes has praised the fearlessness and talent of Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes, in equal measure.
In an interview with MUTV, Scholes was effusive in his recognition of the midfielder’s talents, describing his vision as “brilliant” and commending Fernandes for being “prepared to take risks.”
Scholes contends bravery is a prerequisite to be successful at Old Trafford; “We all say at United” players cannot be afraid to “lose the ball.”
Fernandes, often criticised for these risks, is the embodiment of this style of gung-ho football.
United’s number eight will constantly seek to initiate and create; preferring to pepper the opposition with a barrage of questions, rather than waiting for an easy answer.
Fernandes topped the chance creation table in the Premier League last season, yet finished joint tenth in the assists table. It appears if a more lethal striker was placed in front of him, Fernandes would become an even more dominant midfielder.
Scholes believes the Portuguese midfielder “sees everything” on the pitch and, thus, these types of decisions with the ball are not gambles but, rather, calculated risks. Risks which would translate into tangible rewards with better players ahead of him.
The former United maestro would even like to see Fernandes operate closer to his old position, rarther than the United’s captain prefererred number ten role:
“…he’s actually played a bit deeper. I love him in that role, I’m not sure it’s a role he would do year after year. I think he would like to get back into that number 10.”
Scholes, a scholar on the attributes required to be a successful midfield player at Old Trafford, always felt like he had a detailed 3-D image of the pitch, from a multitude of angles, in his head when he was playing.
His awareness of team mate and opponent alike, combined with technique not often found in England, ensured Scholes was a dominant force in midfield, despite not possessing a dominant physical skillset.
There is perhaps no greater compliment to a midfielder than being praised by a man of Scholes’ talents. Bruno Fernandes does not appear to listen to external noise often; this will be one instance he makes an exception for.