Manchester United Legend Sends Bruno Fernandes Dire Message Over Premier League Winner Comparisons

Former Manchester United star Steve Bruce needs to see one thing from Bruno Fernandes before acknowledging the comparisons to Eric Cantona.

Fernandes has been playing some of the best seasons of his career at Manchester United. This season alone, the Portuguese star has already recorded 21 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, making him Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s most dominant and consistent player.

Like any other star athlete, Fernandes’ fine form has had soccer personalities comparing him to some of English Premier League’s all-time greats, including four-time league champion Cantona. But for Bruce, who has won three Premier League titles with Cantona, Fernandes must win multiple trophies first before people put him on “the same hymn sheet” as his former teammate.

"What you have to judge people on over a period of time is what they've won,” Bruce told Sky Sports of the Fernandes-Cantona comparisons ahead of Newcastle's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. “Certainly, Eric [Cantona] for us, was the catalyst to go and win things. The way [Bruno] Fernandes has played in the last 12 months, it feels a bit like Eric because it's his stage.”

“Eric adored everything that went with playing for arguably the biggest and best club in the world,” he continued. “Fernandes has done fantastically well in doing that, it's his stage. For it to be even suggested that he's on the same hymn sheet as Eric is a wonderful compliment to him. Now they have to go and achieve and win things the way Eric did, and on big occasions win cup finals and semi-finals. If he does that, then of course you can compare him to Eric."

Now the second-best team in the Premier League, Manchester United seems to have kept its title hopes alive.

En route to championship, Solskjaer is relying on the leadership of Fernandes, whom he recently lauded for putting on another exceptional performance in the team’s 4-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

“We do create chances and he [Fernandes] gets them," Solskjaer said after the match. "He’s good at finding spaces and his technical ability when it comes to chances is top class. If he scores two, he wants three, if he gets an assist, he wants another one."

“He drives everyone on, of course. Sometimes he drives too much and wants to do too much," the manager added. "Tonight, he played his position really well and was in the spaces we wanted him and we can see how efficient he is."