Manchester United star has revealed his desire to play with Barcelona ace Raphinha at Old Trafford, despite the Brazilian’s sluggish start to his La Liga career.
In the summer, the then Leeds United winger was linked with a move to United, however, Raphinha only had eyes for Barcelona and eventually made the move to Camp Nou for a reported fee of £55 million.
Since his move to Catalonia, Raphinha has somewhat struggled to produce the kind of football that earned him the big move.
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Under manager Xavi, Raphinha often found himself on the bench as France winger Ousmane Dembele has been the Spaniard’s preferred option on the right wing.
Fernandes was recently asked which player he would love to play with again, he told The Athletic: “So many. Raphinha, who is now at Barcelona, would be one.
“The chemistry between me and him was really good. I didn’t play with him for a long time at Sporting, but I felt he was a team-mate who would give everything for me.”
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The pair spent one season together at Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, the Brazilian eventually left Sporting for French club Stade Rennais.
In January, it will mark three years since Fernandes moved to United. Ever since his arrival, he has become a fans favourite and a leader amongst the squad.
He said: “You have to be yourself and you have to lead by example.
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“You have to be at your best in every training session and every game. Some players are more vocal than others, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not leaders.
“There are different ways to lead, even if some players don’t want to show it so much because they don’t feel it’s necessary or (feel) comfortable doing it.”
United will be back in Premier League action on 27 December as they welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford.
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Topics: Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Barcelona, Raphinha, Football
Marcus Chan