"When he came Prem I said it, I said this guy is going to be a problem" - Ex-PL star heaps praises on Manchester United star
Former Premier League winger Yannick Bolasie has heaped praise on Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes for his ability to create chances for his teammates. The ex-Everton and Crystal Palace attacker had a brief spell with Fernandes as his teammate when he was on loan at Sporting CP in 2019-20.
Bolasie spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Sporting CP from Everton and has claimed that he was wowed by the Portugal international. Bruno Fernandes left for Manchester United in January 2020 for a reported initial fee of £47 million.
Bolasie has claimed that he always knew that Bruno Fernandes would be a major hit in the Premier League. Speaking on the Filthy Fellas podcast, the former DR Congo international said, as quoted by The Boot Room:
"Bruno, to be honest if you’re saying the person who has created the most chances for man, you have to say Bruno. I only ended up scoring three goals for Sporting and I should have scored nine. The balls he was putting in were different."
The 34-year-old added:
"When he came Prem I said it, I said this guy is going to be a problem. He is the one who showed me the roots to the stats, of how to work the stats. It was mad in Portugal what Bruno could do. His ability is mad. He could play a game and if he scores that game was going to end 1-0."
Bolasie and Fernandes shared the pitch on 21 occasions for Sporting CP and combined four times for goals. Fernandes has been excellent since departing the Portuguese side for Manchester United and has arguably been the Red Devils' best signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The attacking midfielder has scored 71 times and produced 62 goals in 220 appearances for the 20-time English champions. He currently dons the armband for the Old Trafford outfit but has endured a difficult season by his standards this time out. The 29-year-old has contributed with seven goals and eight assists in 35 games across competitions this season.
Wayne Rooney offers advice for underperforming Manchester United attacker
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has urged Marcus Rashford to be more ruthless in front of goal to rediscover his best form. The English attacker had his career-best season last time out having found the back of the net on 30 occasions and produced 11 assists in 56 appearances across competitions.
His form has fallen off a cliff this season as he has managed just five goals while providing six assists in 32 games across competitions. Rooney, who is regarded as one of the finest English strikers of all time, has advised the 26-year-old to be more patient. The 38-year-old said:
"Marcus Rashford needs to be more ruthless and be patient and stay in the middle of the goal. You just want to see more from him. Confidence is the main factor, he hasn't been scoring regularly this season and he maybe needs to simplify his game to get back in the groove."
He added:
"He's not the most vocal lad. His body language doesn't look great at times but he's not like that. The senior players need to get more out of him and get him fired up."
Rashford came through the youth ranks of Manchester United and has made 391 appearances for the club. He has contributed with 128 goals and 74 assists and has won five trophies with his boyhood club.