Manchester United News Roundup: Rooney advises club to sign Premier League defender, Bruno Fernandes names the best English midfielder - 16th November 2020

Wayne Rooney, formerly of Manchester United
Wayne Rooney, formerly of Manchester United

Manchester United went into the international break with a much-needed win against Everton. The Red Devils will aim to continue that form when they return to Old Trafford against West Brom.

Here is the latest from Old Trafford on 16th November 2020.

Wayne Rooney advises Manchester United to sign Tariq Lamptey

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney wants the Red Devils to sign Tariq Lamptey, according to reports in Mundo Deportivo. The report adds that Atletico Madrid have also monitored the progress of the 20-year-old.

Tariq Lamptey of Brighton & Hove Albion
Tariq Lamptey of Brighton & Hove Albion

Wayne Rooney praised the England U-20 international in his column in the Sunday Times back in October:

Personally, if I were doing their recruiting, as well as that No. 9 I’d go for another centre half to partner Harry Maguire, and try for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tariq Lamptey, who looks a brilliant attacking right back. While Aaron Wan-Bissaka has done OK defensively, you want United full-backs to put the opposition on the back foot when the team have the ball and I don’t think he does that.
Luke Shaw can at times but you always worry from a fitness point of view whether he can do it for 90 minutes. I think full back is an area where Manchester United could really improve. The game has changed and where before your full-backs didn’t have to be attacking players, they just had to provide overlaps and be an option, nowadays they have to play a full part going forward — flooding the gaps when wide strikers such as Rashford come in from the sides.

Paul Scholes was better than Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard says Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has turned around the fortunes of the club since signing in January 2020. The Portuguese midfielder has added bite to a midfield which often lacked creativity.

Apart from doing the right things, he's been saying the right things off the pitch as well. In his Podcast with Manchester United, he decided to settle the age-old debate about the best among the last generation of England midfielders - Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard.

"I think Scholes was one of the best midfielders in the world. For England, a lot of people talk about Frank Lampard because he scored a lot of goals of course, one of the best in England too, you have Steven Gerrard too. But I think Scholes is the one who makes more difference than anyone else. But I think in the last generation, those three were the three best ones, and for me Scholes was best," Fernandes said on the podcast.

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