Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was full of praise when discussing some of his counterparts who play for Premier League rivals.
The 30-year-old might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his class on and off the pitch is becoming increasingly undeniable. The playmaker has been on supreme form as of late, taking his seasonal tally to 16 goals and 15 assists across all competitions.
While this hasn’t been enough for the Reds who are still enduring a woeful campaign, one could only imagine what would have been the case without their influential skipper. Perhaps the abysmal performance against Newcastle back in December – with Bruno serving a ban – was telling enough.
Moreover, Fernandes has been a class off the pitch as well as illustrated by his response to Roy Keane who has been harshly criticising him for months.
The Portugal international has once again showcased his humility by revealing his admiration for some of the players he’s constantly compared to, namely Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard.
“I have De Bruyne’s, for example,” he told Inside Football (via Manchester Evening News) when discussing his big shirt collection.
“He is someone that I’ve always really liked and respect a lot for what he has done in football. Martin Odegaard also, I also exchanged with both of them.
Bruno Fernandes opens on massive shirt collection
The Man United skipper is also proud to possess jerseys donned by Chelsea star Cole Palmer and Tottenham captain Son Hueng-min.
“I have exchanged the shirts with players that play in my position, that I really like, and I really think that they are top-class players, like Cole Palmer, I have his shirt also.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone but I wouldn’t mind asking them if I do think so. Declan Rice, when he was still at West Ham. He asked me, at the time, when we swapped because I know he does have a big collection. I also have a Son one from Tottenham.”
However, the former Udinese and Sampdoria star still rues missing out on the opportunity to ask his idol Andrea Pirlo for a jersey back in his Serie A days.
“Pirlo was one of my favourite ones growing up, him and Iniesta, but I have never been brave enough to ask him. So, at the time, I was too shy for that.
“I did get a chance to speak to him, in Turin, when he was [Juventus] manager and we went there with the national team to have a camp there.
“I had a chance to speak with him and chat and it was very, very good. I had the time to stay there and exchange some words with someone that I always looked up to and I even said to him if, for any chance, you have a shirt at home that you don’t need or is there just for no reason, could you just remember me and, if you want, you can send it to the Portuguese camp.
“He never did it! Now I think it is obviously the only one I regret not asking for.”
