Phil Neville has somewhat surprisingly compared Manchester United's January signing Bruno Fernandes to their former flop Juan Sebastian Veron.
Big things were expected of ex-Argentina international Veron when he signed in 2001, but he never managed to make much of an impression and joined Chelsea two years later.
Fernandes, on the other hand, has shone since making the move to Old Trafford, scoring two goals and creating three assists in five Premier League appearances.
But speaking to Premier League Productions Neville said Fernandes' style of play most reminds him of that of Veron's.
"He’s a really technical player, always wants to take the ball," Neville said. "People talk about Paul Scholes but he reminds me more of Veron with the way he’s got that invincibility of taking people on, a lot of shots from distance.
"The positions which he takes up I think are really interesting. He always finds space."
Neville lauded Fernandes for bringing the creativity that United's midfield was lacking before, and thinks other sides may need to make special plans to try to negate his threat.
"Fred, McTominay and Matic are all ball-winners, all have got the energy but haven't got the technical ability of Fernandes," he continued.
"A lot of teams will have seen a lot of his games since he came to England and I just wonder whether they will take extra protection when playing against Manchester United now."
Fernandes is expected to feature for United's first game back against Tottenham on Friday, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side look to continue their pursuit of Chelsea, who sit three points above them in fourth place in the league.
It remains to be seen if Paul Pogba will play alongside Fernandes for the first time, with the Frenchman finally fit again after a long injury layoff.
