Bruno Fernandes Was ‘Surprised’ Seeing Man Utd Teammate’s Talent When He Joined Club

Bruno Fernandes has admitted that he was "surprised" seeing how good Marcus Rashford was when the Portuguese playmaker moved from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United during the January transfer window.

Fernandes was immensely impressed with the English forward during his initial days as a member of the Man Utd squad despite already being aware of his talents.

The 25-year-old midfielder has been an instant hit at Old Trafford as he is yet to lose a match with the club. Since his arrival in Manchester, the Red Devils are on an unbeaten run of 11 matches in the Premier League and are pushing for the Champions League spot for the next season. Fernandes has struck a great bond with Rashford on the field and that has been doing well for the club. Rashford has scored 22 goals in 39 competitive appearances this season, while Fernandes has netted eight goals in 17 games.

After Man Utd went past Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win Thursday, July 16, Fernandes was asked to name a player who he thought was a "perfect player" and he picked his current teammate Rashford, especially for his pace.

During an interview with BT Sport, Fernandes said, "I will choose Rashford because I think what Rashford has is pace, amazing pace, but with amazing quality. It’s difficult sometimes going at that velocity to have the quality to do the right things, you know. To choose the right time to shoot, to pass, to skill. I will choose Rashy for sure. He surprised me a lot. Of course, I already knew his qualities, because he is one of the best young players in the world for me. I think I will choose Rashy because for me this [pace] is one of the best qualities he has."

Fernandes also heaped praise on his Portugal compatriot, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had also kickstarted his career at Sporting Lisbon before moving to Man Utd.

Terming Ronaldo the most skillful player, Fernandes said, "He was one of the most skillful players in the world. I think he’s changed a little bit his game, but a player who was really difficult to do one-against-one defending against him. So, for me, from everyone I’ve played with and against, I think it was him who was the best skillful player I’ve ever seen."