ESPN Brasil today features an interview with Sporting midfielder Luiz Phellype. And instead of talking about how things have been at the Lisbon side, the story has one special focus: Bruno Fernandes.
The Lions’ midfielder has only spoken about his former teammate, who left the Portuguese side to join Manchester United in a €55m deal in January.
Luiz Phellype had a lot of praise for Fernandes, bringing many details about what makes him such a great player.
“He’s by far the best I have ever played with. Outsiders only look at what he does at games, but the people who live with him on a daily basis in training understand how good he is,” Luiz Phellype told ESPN Brasil‘s Vladimir Bianchini.
“Bruno is a guy who works hard and one of the last to leave the club and training. After the activities, he will train free-kicks, penalties and finishing. This reflects on the field. I like to spend about 20 minutes improving what I need. I’d go to the locker room, take my shower and get my things, but Bruno was still on the field. He stayed an hour after training every day. He deserves to be reaping everything he planted.
“Bruno is the guy who thinks better and risks a lot. Always passes forward. When he gets it right, an assist or a goal comes out. He shoots very well and makes good assists, these are his best characteristics. He manages to set up the moves and then appears in the area to finish them.
“He’s a modern player because he attacks very well and defends very well too. He runs a lot and is intense. Sometimes he goes a little too far and screams here and screams there and fights with the referee. But it’s not because he’s a bad character, none of that. He’s very competitive and cannot bear to lose.”
Asked about his relationship with Bruno Fernandes, Luiz Phellype says they get along pretty well, but got used to have big arguments on the pitch. He also recalled one of their quarrels.
“I consider him a friend because he helped me a lot on and off the pitch. We used to argue a lot in training (laughs). I let him talk more because I knew him well. When he exploded, he’d later apologise. Anyone who knows him well doesn’t even stress.
“At first when he argued with me, and demanded from me, I got upset, but then I started to understand him and things went well.
“Once against Vitória de Setúbal we were in the middle of the game and I thought he was going to pass me the ball and I shouted ‘Bruno’, but he shot and missed. He was pissed, looked at me and said a lot: ‘What do you want? Can’t I shoot anymore?’ He swore badly (laughs). I said: ‘Okay, Bruno’. Then we had a technical stop for water, and he came to apologise and said he was wrong.
“He is calm off the pitch and on the pitch he changes. He’s like Cristiano Ronaldo when he loses, he can’t talk to anyone.”
Bruno Fernandes left Sporting with 63 goals and 52 assists in 137 appearances for the club. His first couple of months at Manchester United have some pretty impressive stats as well, with three goals and four assists in his first nine games in England.
Finally asked if he’s surprised with Bruno Fernandes’ start at Manchester United, Luiz Phellype said: “I’m not surprised by his success. Some people think that the Portuguese league is weak, which is not true. The physical and tactical level are very high. Who stands out here can stand out in other places”.
