Bruno Fernandes has said Paul Scholes was better than Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard – and he hopes to emulate the Manchester United legend.
For several years, England supporters have fought over which of the three midfielders was the best, with all enjoying outstanding careers.
Scholes had to leave England duty after being forced out wide to accommodate Gerrard and Lampard in a 4-4-2 formation.
But Fernandes has said Scholes is the best of the three players for him – and is drawing inspiration from the legend, having scored 13 goals and provided ten assists in 21 Premier League matches.
Fernandes told the UTD Podcast: “I think Scholes was one of the best midfielders in the world. For England, a lot of people talk about Frank Lampard because he scored a lot of goals of course, one of the best in England too, you have Steven Gerrard too.
“But I think Scholes is the one who makes more difference than anyone else. “And before everyone starts talking about this, I haven’t seen every midfielder in England…
“But I think in the last generation, those three were the three best ones, and for me Scholes was best.”
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And Fernandes believes his style suits more of the United legend Scholes than Gerrard and Lampard. He even explained how watching a compilation of his goals helped Fred score twice in last season’s Europa League victory over Club Brugge.
The Portuguese midfielder continued: “Maybe I’m closer to Paul Scholes than the rest of them. Scholes was a guy who likes to be in the box, who likes to give an assist, who likes to score a lot of goals.
“I remember when we were about to play Club Brugge last season, and I was in the dining room with Fred. On the television they were playing all Paul Scholes’ goals in a Manchester United shirt.
“We had eaten, but we just stayed there to watch all of those goals of his. “It was funny because I was talking to Fred, and I said to him, ‘You see what Paul Scholes is doing, you need to be more closer to the goal, because if not, you will never score.’
“And then Fred, in that game, he scored twice! “I appreciate Scholes a lot but maybe because, at that time for me in Portugal, when Scholes was playing at his best level, it was difficult for us to see English football.
“After watching a video of Paul Scholes, I knew he was a player who scored a lot of goals.”
