[ad_1]
The former Red Devils defender feels the club’s new signing showed plenty of promise during Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford
Gary Neville saw signs of Juan Sebastian Veron in Bruno Fernandes’ debut for Manchester United , but was ultimately encouraged by the midfielder’s display.
Fernandes played the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford on Saturday as United were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw by Wolves.
The Portugal international, signed in a €55 million (£47m/$60m) deal from from Sporting, had five shots, three of which were on target, and attempted a game-high 88 passes, though he did not directly create a chance for any of his team-mates.
Neville saw enough to take the positives from Fernandes’ composed start, but felt a positional switch paid dividends after initially comparing his efforts in the number 10 role to those of Veron, who struggled to fit in during his time as a United player between 2001 and 2003.
“It’s early days but I like what he did,” former United defender Neville said of Fernandes on Sky Sports. “I thought he did okay, it was a difficult game for him.
“We’ve heard a lot about his assists and his goals and how he can affect games at the front of the pitch, but when he was moved into more of a holding midfield role alongside Fred in the second half I actually thought he did quite well.
“He showed a lot of experience and discipline to not expose himself too much.
“In the first half he was in a number 10 role and he reminded me a bit of what Juan Sebastien Veron used to do when he first came to Manchester United.
“He charged around everywhere and moved everywhere. He was busy and was looking for spaces but didn’t really play in a position.
Article continues below
“I preferred him in the second half when he was a little more controlled and I thought it was a decent debut from him.
“Fred has emerged in recent weeks and those two could control games – there is some promise there.”
The draw meant the Red Devils dropped one place to sixth, level on points with Wolves, with Sheffield United moving up to fifth place after a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace.
[ad_2]
Source link