Bruno Fernandes says if he could choose any attribute to take from one of his teammates it would be Marcus Rashford’s pace.
Fernandes was United’s top goalscorer and top assister and while he does not feel he is slow, he believes a little extra speed would make him unstoppable.
Speaking to the club website, Fernandes said: “I think I’m not the slowest player in the world but if I would have the pace of Rashy, honestly, I was Ballon d’Or already.
“With the pace he has, oh my God, he’s unbelievable. It’s incredible the way he is and, when I talk about pace, it’s about running with the ball and without the ball, and, at the same time, the pace in his feet. The quality he has, the moves he has and the agility he has to come away from difficult situations. It’s unbelievable.”
Rashford really is the fastest
Data compiled by the club’s official website this season showed Rashford was the club’s fastest player. So Fernandes’ assessment is well judged.
He clocked a speed of 22.5 miles per hour and recorded the top four fastest times of all players.
The evidence backing up Fernandes’ assessment shows he really does know what he is talking about, as he should, seeing Rashford first hand and playing alongside him.
Rashford’s speed makes Fernandes’ job easier when he is looking to pick out passes for the England international.
In an interview with United today, Rashford was quoted claiming Dan James is faster, stating: “To be honest, Dan would win over 100 metres.”
Perhaps this is true and we would have guessed James would be the club’s quickest player, but the evidence says that in short bursts, Rashford is faster.
Bruno for Ballon d’Or?
Fernandes admits he would love to win the award but feels it would be very hard to do so in an era where it has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said: “Everyone wants to be a Ballon d’Or [winner]. Since you grow up from the time you finish your career, you want to be [it] but, honestly, for me, I’m now focused on getting trophies for the team.
“For this season, honestly it’s difficult to choose because, for me, at the time you have Messi and Ronaldo still playing, you have to put them on a rung and nobody I think is still close to those two.”
Fernandes has 49 goal contributions for club and country this season and can get himself into the discussion for the award with a strong Euro 2020.
It would be an achievement simply to make the top 10 and this should be a realistic aim for him if he has a good tournament and ends 2021 strongly.
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