RIO FERDINAND has unearthed an incredible stat that shows only Lionel Messi has been involved in more goals than Bruno Fernandes since he joined Manchester United in 2020.
The Portuguese star arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon as part of a £55million transfer.
The attacking midfielder has gone on to become one of the key players of the squad with his regular goals and assists.
Since becoming a Red Devil, Fernandes has scored 60 goals and assisted 52.
And Ferdinand has pointed out that statistically, he is remarkably in an elite pair with Lionel Messi for picking up 50 goals and 50 assists since arriving at Old Trafford.
The duo are the only ones to have done this in Europe’s top five leagues, according to Opta.
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During the same period of time, Messi has been involved in 140 goals at club level.
Messi has achieved this with 81 goals and 59 assists.
Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube show, he said: “His passing, he’s creating chances.
“His stats, only Messi rivals him in terms of goal involvements since he signed for United.
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“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.”
The former Manchester United defender did go on to claim that Christian Eriksen can help Fernandes improve further now he is back from injury.
He added: “He needs [Christian] Eriksen to go to that other level.
“Eriksen, the amount of easy passes he makes that are just great for team-mates.”
Fernandes has recently been deployed in a deeper role due to the Dane’s injury but returned to his favoured position in the win over Nottingham Forest.
The win over the relegation candidates has helped Man United edge closer to Champions League qualification for next season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
