Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will be excited at the latest winger target being linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Last month, interim boss Michael Carrick made it public knowledge that Manchester United are targeting a left winger in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Links to Yan Diomande and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi followed closely behind, but fresh reports claim United are interested in Rafael Leao.
United have a long-term interest in Leao and both Bruno Fernandes and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have played with the Portuguese winger throughout their careers.
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He’s clearly a fan!
Bruno Fernandes hails ‘phenomenal’ Rafael Leao
Just like Fernandes, Leao made his senior breakthrough at Sporting Lisbon after growing up in their academy setup.
While Fernandes has shared the pitch with Leao for the Portugal national team, the United captain also spoke highly of Leao when he first met him at Sporting.
As quoted by SempreMilan, Fernandes said: “I met him as a kid at Sporting Lisbon, he came up to the first team with me.
“He is a boy with an enormous talent that we all hope will become stronger every time because we know how much talent he has.
“He has had his moments, but I still believe that he is a phenomenal player who can give us something more.”
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a big admirer of Rafael Leao
As for former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the iconic Swedish forward shared the pitch with Leao after he made his move to AC Milan.
As quoted by La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Ibrahimovic said: “Milan is the right environment for him [Leao]. Just look at his growth, when he arrived, he was far from the decisive player he is today. Here he is very important for us.
“At Milan he has confidence, space and freedom, which is not a given at another club, it’s up to you. Besides, you can see that he is happy here, by now he is laughing even before scoring. He is the young man who has grown the most.
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“Theo has improved so much, De Ketelaere is strong, and patience is needed. But Leao is on another level, above average.
“Today even he doesn’t really know how strong he is. Then he will be really scary. And the price will go up.”
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