England icon Wayne Rooney namechecked Eric Cantona amid a debate around whether or not Bruno Fernandes would make an all-time Manchester United XI.
Bruno Fernandes is widely regarded as Manchester United’s best signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era of the Premier League club after his 2020 Old Trafford move.
The 31-year-old Man Utd captain has become a linchpin figure at the Red Devils, having received the club’s armband in 2023 under Erik ten Hag.
Wayne Rooney sat down with the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville for The Overlap’s Stick to Football show and the podcast panel was asked about Fernandes.
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Bruno Fernandes encourages the fans during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Lee Parker – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Wayne Rooney rules out Bruno Fernandes making an all-time Man Utd XI in the same way that Eric Cantona would
Bruno Fernandes is currently four assists shy of equalling the all-time Premier League assist record (20) in a single season, with the midfielder sitting on 16.
The Manchester United star has enjoyed a superb run of form under Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney’s former club teammate Michael Carrick in recent weeks.
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Fernandes has netted twice and registered eight assists alone in Michael Carrick’s first nine Premier League matches as interim head coach for the Red Devils.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Rooney felt that “top player” Fernandes would fall short of making an all-time Man Utd XI compared with the likes of Eric Cantona.
“I think Bruno is a top player, but to get into Manchester United, it’s all-time XI, I don’t think so,” he said.
“Well, you think you’ve got Cantona, you’ve got all your attacking players. I just don’t think, just on stats alone.”
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Roy Keane and Gary Neville react to Bruno Fernandes’ Man Utd stats after Wayne Rooney’s admission
Fernandes has netted 105 times and registered 103 assists in his 319 appearances for the Red Devils since his stunning arrival from Sporting CP back in 2020.
United legend Neville was blown away by the numbers that Fernandes has produced in a Red Devils shirt, while Keane also admired the midfielder’s superb exploits.
“101 assists, 105 goals,” he said.
“That is unbelievable, by the way.”
Reacting to Fernandes’ Man Utd stats, Keane added: “Brilliant stats, amazing. No, it is.”
Neville then continued: “They’re unbelievable. They’re incredible.”
Fernandes has registered 17 assists and scored seven times in 29 matches across all competitions for Man Utd in the 2025-26 campaign at Old Trafford.
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