Bruno Fernandes would've had to settle for a spot on the bench if he played for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, claims former Red Devil Eric Djemba-Djemba.
The Portuguese star's arrival at Old Trafford has coincided with a huge upturn in form.
Much of that has been credited to his performances on the pitch and his personality off it.
But Djemba-Djemba doesn't believe he, nor team-mate Paul Pogba, would've merited a starting berth ahead of Roy Keane or Paul Scholes.
He told BettingApps.com when asked whether United's current midfielders would have watched from the bench under Ferguson: “For sure! Fernandes and Pogba would definitely have been on the bench behind [Roy] Keane and [Paul] Scholes.
“Those two were amazing together. Roy Keane was like a coach, like a manager to the team.”
Keane and Scholes ran United's midfield during an era where they dominated English football.
Those days are long gone with the club's last title coming in Ferguson's final season back in 2013.
Optimism is growing however at Old Trafford and much has been made as to whether Fernandes and Pogba can co-exist effectively in a same team, but the Cameroonian has his own take on it.
He said: “I would just play Matic behind Pogba and Fernandes. I think that Matic is the best defensive midfielder at United at the moment. I don’t think that United need to sign any other midfielders.”
Pogba has missed large parts of the season through injury and been embroiled in a lengthy transfer saga with doubt still hanging over his United future.
And Djemba-Djemba reckons the Frenchman still has plenty of improving to do.
“I think that Paul Pogba can still get a lot better,” he added. “He still a young lad, and we can still expect better things to come from him.
“Now you will see, with Matic and Fernandes, Pogba will become a world-class player again. He needs them to push him, to tell him that he can do these things, to turn him into an even better player."
