The duo locked horns on Saturday evening when Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur outclassed, outfought and outdone Erik ten Hag’s men in the capital.
But as Manchester United were being ‘destroyed’ in midfield, which Neville echoed in commentary, he also added that Bruno Fernandes has been ‘far better’ than James Maddison during his Premier League career, as he told Sky Sports PL (19/08/23 at 6:55 pm).
Well, Fernandes didn’t showcase any of that over the weekend because, from top to bottom, his team deserved to walk away from the match empty-handed.
On the other hand, Maddison, who signed for Spurs this summer, put on another positive display, with Danny Rose claiming that he is ‘over the moon’ that the Englishman is playing for the club.
Nonetheless, this is what Neville had to say about Fernandes, 28, being Manchester United’s version of Tottenham.
“I would like to see Fernandes central, he is Manchester United’s best player,” said Neville. “He is the Maddison of Manchester United.
“In fact, he is far better, in terms of his stats. He has been unbelievable since he has come to the club.
“But it’s certainly not his favoured position out on the right wing and he is having to go out there because Man United’s midfield is being destroyed by Tottenham.”
Tottenham outclass Man United
Even though Spurs have lost Harry Kane, the manner in which they have responded to his exit has been pretty impressive because, from an attacking perspective, they have been top-class.
That’s also in line with the fact that Postecoglou has been in the job for only a matter of months, yet the identity of the team is evident for everyone to see.
The same can’t be said for ten Hag, whose team haven’t looked on it at all this season and they need to get their engines going, as soon as possible, or the verbal beatings will start.
