Paul Scholes has insisted that Manchester United are not over-reliant on Bruno Fernandes - but has urged other members of the squad to "step up".
Fernandes has enjoyed another sensational season at Old Trafford, scoring 14 goals and creating nine assists in 24 Premier League matches.
This has led some to compare him to Red Devils legend Scholes, who played in a similar position to the Portuguese attacking midfielder during his playing career.
But speaking to United's official website Scholes said: "He is different to me.
"I played in that [number 10] position for a while but I was never as creative or scored as many goals as he has in that position.
"Obviously I played in a deeper role than he is, but you have to look at his numbers and what he is doing is sensational. We just need to get a team around him that can push on to win the league."
Some believe United are too dependent on Fernandes, and are incapable of putting in a good performance when the 26-year-old is absent or has an off day.
But Scholes played down these claims, adding: "Are we too reliant on him? No I don't think so.
"That is his role in the team. You have to remember United paid a lot of money for this type of player.
"He is a player whose job it is to create goals and score goals. Now he is doing that better than we ever imagined. Other players need to step up now."
Fernandes and United return to Europa League action this week and face a tricky-looking first leg of their last-32 tie against La Liga side Real Sociedad in Turin on Thursday.
And they will then try to kick-start their fading title hopes when they return to Premier League action to host Newcastle United on Sunday.
