Former Sporting manager Silas has spoken about a current Manchester United player who believes is similar to Paul Scholes.
Silas has compared Bruno Fernandes to Paul Scholes, saying: “Bruno is a footballer who is not easy to stop. He is not like Messi, who dribbles around you. Bruno’s danger is when you’re not seeing him. The ball on the wings… when the ball falls to him and there is no one in front of him, he hits it very well. With the right, with the left. Reminds me of [Paul] Scholes.”
This is whilst speaking to Marca, as reported by Sport Witness. The comparison isn’t in a positional sense, as Fernandes and Scholes play different roles in midfield. The comparison is the way they play and make it difficult to stop.
Although, as Silas said, Fernandes isn’t going to dribble past five players and score, what he will do is pop up in areas when defenders aren’t aware. He may not be involved in every aspect of play, but could easily pop up with a goal or assist when least expected.
Fernandes often gets a lot of criticism for trying to do too much during games, but his statistics speak volumes. Although he may lose the ball a fair amount, it’s only due to the fact he’s trying to make something happen.