Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has risked the anger of his own supporters by claiming that everybody wants to replicate Pep Guardiola’s approach.
The 29-year-old has been performing impressively since joining the Red Devils in 2020.
Fernandes previously played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnickm before Erik ten Hag made him captain of the club last year.
The attacking midfielder was praised by Guardiola ahead of United’s 3-1 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.
Those comments were put to Fernandes on international duty this week and he returned the praise.
“We are talking about the best coach in the world, without a shadow of a doubt,” he told A Bola. “In recent years, he has been the best coach in the world.”
“He is probably the coach who most changed the game of football. Nowadays, everyone wants to be Guardiola – there’s no need to hide that.”
Fernandes has been one of United’s best players in the last few years but has had an average season by his high standards.
He has bagged just eight goals and nine assists in 38 games across all competitions this term.
However, he has averaged 7.23 expected goals and 2.6 shots per game in the Premier League.
The midfielder has completed 2.1 tackles, 5.7 ball recoveries and 1.2 clearances per match on average.
Fernandes has faced questions over his suitability for the United captaincy, but he has been excellent as a player.
Stats from Sofascore
