Former Newcastle player Alan Shearer explained how Bruno Fernandes has transformed Manchester United since joining the club.
The Portuguese international has been United’s top player since he moved to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in January.
His form before football’s three-month hiatus saw him win the Premier League player’s month’s prize for February, and picked up where he left off from restarting the top tier.
Fernandes has received plaudits for his relationship with Paul Pogba in particular, with the pair having proved influential in United’s games against Tottenham and Sheffield United.
And speaking with the BBC ahead of the English Cup quarter-final against Norwich City, Shearer delved into how Fernandes helped United find a new level.
“It made a huge difference,” said Shearer. “We were well aware of how Man Man would like to play, they are an attacking team and they have been very good with the pace they have.
“But this guy took a lot of class going forward. They were a safe team, they didn’t have that midfielder to unlock the teams’ defense, when they would like to sit deep, they didn’t have anyone who produced that killer pass.
“This is the difference now. They were doing well, pushing her and the teams could recover the numbers. Now it can produce the killer step and the risky step.
“He had 10 starts, he has four goals himself and four assists, because of the class changes he can choose.
“He keeps everything flowing and moving forward and is improving the players ahead of him. They are creating more possibilities, they are scoring more goals for this.
“He inserts it and makes it sizzle, and that’s what you want as a striker. He added a lot more going forward to Manchester United because of that vision.
“For a center forward, it’s brilliant because when you do those runs, you want the ball to be delivered, and if you don’t, maybe you stop doing it.
“He now has so many options ahead of him for this.”
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