Manchester United attacking-midfielder Bruno Fernandes has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they will be coming up against one of the best players "in the world" when the two clubs go face-to-face later this month, as the Premier League closes in on its return.
Spurs will welcome United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for an eagerly-anticipated encounter, as Spurs chief Jose Mourinho will be desperate to put one over on his former club after losing the reverse fixture at 2-1 at Old Trafford back in December.
But if Spurs are to do that, which will prove to be a tough task without the backing of their supporters, who will not be allowed to attend because of the coronavirus crisis, they will have to be at the very top of their game, as United are set to welcome back two key individuals, who have both been able to take full advantage of the period without football and work their way back to full fitness after suffering injuries prior to the shutdown period.
Whilst striker Marcus Rashford, who has scored 19 goals in all competitions this term, is one of the players that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be able to welcome back into his plans, the other is midfielder Paul Pogba, who, following a series of ankle troubles, is back in contention once again.
And it is indeed World Cup winner Pogba that Spurs will have to be the most wary of, according to Fernandes, who had hit the ground running following his arrival in the Premier League back in January.
The Portuguese international has recently been singing the praises of the former Juventus midfielder and is relishing the prospect of playing alongside him for the very first time.
"I think Paul is one of the best players in Manchester and in the world," Fernandes said during an Instagram Live with Mario Djurovski.
"He was injured for a lot of time. The opportunity to play side to side with him is fantastic because you want to play with the best players you can."
Pogba's 2019/20 campaign is not one that he will look back on with a great amount of fondness; he has made just eight appearances in all competitions has failed to score a single goal.
He suffered a serious ankle injury back in September which kept him out until December. He made a brief return during the hectic Christmas schedule but has not played since United's 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
However, the Frenchman, 27, will be chomping at the bit to make up for lost time and will be looking to get back into the swing of things from the very beginning of the restart.
