Danny Murphy believes that Bruno Fernandes is the best attacking midfielder in Europe after his goal in Manchester United’s win over Tottenham.
Fernandes scored United’s second at Old Trafford on Saturday as his side made it four wins in a row under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
The United skipper popped up at the back post in the 81st minute to poke home Diogo Dalot’s enticing cross and secure a 2-0 home win for the Red Devils.
Having been deployed deeper in a two-man midfield under Ruben Amorim, Fernandes has been returned to a more advanced role since Carrick’s arrival.
And the 31-year-old’s attacking output has been clear to see, notching up one goal and four assists in his last four games.
Only Erling Haaland (25) has more than Fernandes’ 18 goal involvements this season, with Murphy confident that the United midfielder is currently the standout attacking midfielder in European club football.
‘Bruno got his goal with a wonderful finish and topped off a brilliant performance, considering he actually had one of his poorer performances last week,’ Murphy said on Match of the Day.
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‘I did the game against Fulham and he wasn’t at his best.
‘But at the moment, he’s arguably the best No10 in Europe.’
Another win for United keeps them in the top four and moves them within three points of Aston Villa and Manchester City in third and second, respecitvely.
Calls for Carrick to stay on past the end of the season may only grow louder in the coming weeks, but Murphy believes the current United interim won’t be getting ahead of himself just yet.
‘It will be hard to keep going with these numbers; these are phenomenal numbers,’ Murphy said of United’s start under Carrick.
‘He’ll be much happier seeing them after ten games, let’s say, but he can’t have asked for a better start.
‘They’re playing good football, the fans are on board, the players look confident and are enjoying themselves. Not fun, is it?’
Speaking after United’s win, Fernandes, signed from Sporting CP for £47million back in 2020, suggested that he and his United teammates have benefited from the freedom given to them by their new boss.
‘I think Michael came in with the right idea of giving the players the freedom to take responsibility on the pitch to do the decisions that were needed,’ he told TNT Sports.
‘I think he remembers what I told him the last time he was manager. I think Michael could be a great manager, and he’s just shown it.
‘We hope we can help him even more, so everyone can see we are good players. That’s why we are at Man Utd.
‘I think everyone understands the pressure of playing for this club. Everyone knows the expectations around it.
‘Michael has won everything here, he knows what it means for these fans and how much is needed to win at this football club.’
United will look to make it five wins in a row in midweek when they travel to face West Ham on Tuesday evening.
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