Raphael Varane explains what separates Bruno Fernandes from other Man Utd players, ‘he’s the…’

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French football icon Raphael Varane has explained why Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United’s most important player.

Bruno Fernandes will be aiming to put one foot into the Europa League semi-finals when Manchester United take on Lyon in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Thursday night.

The headlines prior to tonight’s match have been dominated by Andre Onana’s pre-match comments about Lyon when he stated that United are way better than their Ligue 1 opponents.

Onana’s comments prompted a fiery response from Nemanja Matic. The former United midfielder slammed the Cameroon goalkeeper and went on to claim that he is the worst goalkeeper in the club’s history.

The public spat between Onana and Matic means there is more on the line for what is already a crucial tie for both clubs.

United will be relying on their star players, including Bruno Fernandes, to step up against Lyon.

Raphael Varane shares insight into Bruno Fernandes’ influence at Man Utd

Ahead of Manchester United’s first leg against Lyon, French newspaper L’Equipe dedicated a page of their Thursday edition to the match.

It includes a feature where they ask several Frenchmen about Bruno Fernandes.

One of the interviewees includes former United defender Raphael Varane, who left Old Trafford at the end of his contract last summer.

Varane shared his admiration for Fernandes and explained what separates the Portuguese Magnifico from other members of United’s first team.

“He’s [Bruno Fernandes] the heart of the team, one of the players who defends the most, he runs everywhere,” Varane said, as cited by Sport Witness.

“He gives a lot of himself on the pitch, and off it, because he’s really involved in team life.”

Lyon are well aware of the danger Fernandes can cause and they will be on alert over the two legs.

Bruno Fernandes tops goalscoring charts

It says a lot about Manchester United’s forwards that the top goalscorer is a midfielder this season.

Bruno Fernandes tops the charts for United goals this season with 16 to his name, and he is followed by Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho, who are both on 9 for the 2024/25 season.

United have seven league games left to play in the Premier League and a chance to go all the way in the Europa League, so there is a chance for Fernandes to break the 20-goal milestone.

Fernandes has not scored for United since the 3-0 win over Leicester City when he also recorded two assists.