Manchester United midfielder Fred has revealed that Bruno Fernandes has been talking about the talents of Leeds winger, Raphinha, ahead of the meeting between the two sides this weekend.
The Brazilian made the £17 million move from Rennes to the Premier League new boys last summer, and has taken to the English top-flight like a duck to water, his energy and dynamism making him a superb addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s high tempo brand of football.
The 24-year-old has scored six goals and provided six assists in 26 league appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit, though is a doubt for Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United with a thigh injury. picked up in the 2-1 win over Man City earlier this month.
Speaking ahead of the game, United midfielder Fred joked that he was hoping that the winger would continue to be sidelined, revealing that Bruno Fernandes has often spoken up of the winger’s talents, the pair having played together for a single season in Portugal in 2018/19.
“Bruno’s been talking about Raphinha ever since he arrived. They played together at Sporting,” Fred told ManUtd.com.
“He’s a great player having an amazing season and a lot of clubs have their eye on him. I met him recently, great guy, excellent player but… I hope he won’t be lining up against us!
“I wish him a quick recovery and a lot of success in his career. He’s a stand-out star player for Leeds so, of course, it’s better for us if he’s not on the pitch.
“If he does play, we’ll look to mark him carefully and work on our game-plan as best as possible. We’ll try to nullify his threat to come out on top in this game.”
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