Jamie Carragher has ruthlessly explained why Bruno Fernandes will never be a 'great player' like Kevin De Bruyne.
Fernandes has been one of Erik ten Hag's best performers this season as Manchester United endure a difficult campaign.
The Red Devils captain has made 28 appearances, scoring six goals this season.
De Bruyne, on the other hand, has played just four games after suffering a crushing hamstring injury in the first game of the season.
Advert
But he returned to action last weekend as he starred in a cameo, scoring and setting up a goal in Manchester City's come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Newcastle United.
According to Carragher, there's a stark contrast between Fernandes and De Bruyne as the Liverpool legend claimed the Man United star is a 'great talent' but not a 'great player' in a damning assessment.
Speaking on Stick to Football - a podcast brought to you by Sky Bet - he said: "I always used to describe [Paul] Pogba a bit like this - I think there’s a difference between a great talent and a great player. Pogba was a great talent, but I didn’t think he was a great player and the same with Bruno Fernandes. No doubt the talent is there but there’s just something [missing] and the great players, it’s in their head of where they need to be whether it’s defensively or to receive the ball - like [Kevin] De Bruyne."
He added: "De Bruyne is better than Fernandes but in terms of creating chances and different things, Fernandes is not a million miles away from them.
"We’ve seen him under Ole Gunnar Solskaer, I’ve watched him where - and it’s not been lazy by the way - he’s just running everywhere and this is without the ball by the way."
The Portuguese has been extremely influential since joining Man United in January 2020.
But Carragher isn't convinced about the midfielder, who guided his side to Carabao Cup glory last season.
Topics: Jamie Carragher, Bruno Fernandes, Football, Kevin De Bruyne
Nasir Jabbar