Yannick Bolasie has predicted that Bruno Fernandes will be Manchester United’s “Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen or David Silva”.
United completed the signing of the attacking midfielder from Sporting CP last week in a deal worth an initial £46.5 million.
Fernandes made a promising debut for the Premier League giants in a 0-0 draw with Wolves last Saturday.
And Bolasie, who played alongside the Portugal international at Sporting, believes there is plenty more to come from United’s new recruit.
“Bruno has the lot, to be honest. I think he will cope fine with the expectations,” the former Crystal Palace and Everton winger told the Daily Mirror.
“When he was at Sporting he controlled all the matches. Everything Sporting did went through him.
“He can play with both feet and is not afraid to shoot with his left but his right foot is his main foot. He can see a pass and has good long-range passing, free kicks and penalties.
“He is at his best getting on the half turn and making passes in between the lines. He likes giving passes and likes scoring, that is his game. He knows what he can do and is good at and can link up with the forward players really well.
“He has his own style because he has been in Italy before but has similarities to De Bruyne, Silva and Eriksen.
“Bruno likes to go and get the ball and might end up on the left side or end up on the right.
“He needs to play with that protection behind to give him that freedom to venture around rather than adapting to the team.
“It will be interesting to see how United end up using him. But he always wanted to play in the Premier League, for sure, and it is going to be a good test for him.
“It’s much slower in Portugal and nowhere near the Premier League’s tempo. In some of the games in Portugal he could probably coast through whereas in the Premier League no matter who you are playing, the opponents won’t let you walk over them.
“It is always going to be a great option and is a good move for Bruno. It is a monster of a football club, it doesn’t matter where they are right now.
“If you go there your life changes – on the field and off the field. He has a chance to shine but football is about results, so let’s see.”