Carrick's Man Utd training skills 'unbelievable' as Fernandes 'would have loved to play with him'

Bruno Fernandes says he "would have loved to play" with Michael Carrick and his skills during Manchester United training were "unbelievable".

The United captain is playing some of his best football currently at Old Trafford and was named the Premier League Player of the Month for March.

He scored two goals during the month and four assists to help United consolidate their place in the top four as they bid for a Champions League place.

Carrick has come in and helped turn around the fortunes of the club so far and for Fernandes he says how he was a player he looked up to for his quality in midfield.

When Fernandes joined the club it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Carrick was one of his first-team coaches.

Carrick would join in with training and Fernandes told how the quality of his passing really stood out.

"Sometimes, he would come to the pitch and train with us and his quality of passing between the lines, breaking the lines, is something unbelievable," he said.

"For a no.10, how quick a midfielder can be to control the ball and pass it forward, it will give you time and space to think about either control it or flick it, to make a decision.

"He was always on my team [in training] and I think these were the kind of players (I looked up to)"

Looking to former United players, he also picked out Roy Keane for his personality and Paul Scholes as midfielders who made a big impression on him.

"Obviously, I think, at the club, for me, luckily the club had a lot of good midfielders to look up to," he said. "I think, from my time, probably I would say Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were the main pillars of the team.

"Then later on, I would say, not because he's my manager now, but I have said this before already, Michael Carrick is someone I would have loved to play together with. Just because I have trained with him, when he was with Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] at the time."

But for Fernandes the player he admired more than anyone was Cristiano Ronaldo. And he told how special that atmosphere was at Old Trafford for his return in 2021 where he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United.

"Cristiano is an easy one for me," he said. "He is Portuguese and everyone from 2000 – I was born in 1994 – from that age upwards, everyone was looking at him and seeing him.

"He won the Ballon d'Or with the club, which was something very special. All the fans here, when he came back, will never forget that day, when he comes back against Newcastle.

"It was an unforgettable day, he comes back, scores two goals and looks like he never left and everything. The atmosphere in the stadium was crazy that day, probably the best one I have experienced.

"Just the fact of Cristiano coming back, not the rest, but what was created around that, him getting into the pitch, the way he was presented, everything gives goosebumps still to me."

The fact that Fernandes is now playing the best football of his United career under the manager he most admired in training is probably no coincidence.

Carrick understood what Fernandes needed and where he plays best with a more attacking role paying dividends.

That combination of mutual respect between player and manager may yet prove to be the defining factor in United's push for Champions League football this season."