Kevin De Bruyne names two reasons why Bruno Fernandes is the best creative midfielder in the Premier League

Kevin de Bruyne has labeled Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes as a ‘creative machine’ as the Manchester City man chooses his city rival as the best midfielder in a challenge.

The two attacking midfielders have been two of the best creative players in the league in recent years. Since arriving in the Premier League in January 2020, Fernandes has registered 33 assists for United, whilst De Bruyne has managed 56 since the start of that season.

In comparison, Bruno pips the Belgian’s goal return with 44 goals to De Bruyne’s 41.

When asked to rank three of the best creative midfielders in the league, not including himself, De Bruyne chose Fernandes as the best, with Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard in second place and James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur third.

“I think he is a creative machine,” said De Bruyne on the United midfielder when speaking on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel. “I think Odegaard is very creative, a little bit more controlled and Maddison is also very creative but I need to see more of him in a big team so that can change.”

Whilst the two other midfield options are great players, De Bruyne detailed the risk-taking and longevity of Bruno’s performances as the main reasons why he is one of the best around.

“Being creative has a lot of different things around it, like creative chances but sometimes you can give the ball to somebody and they shoot it from 30 metres. It’s always different, but he [Bruno] is always there,” added the City midfielder, who is currently out of action with an injury.

“He takes a lot of risks and I really like it and obviously he’s been doing really well, and he’s been doing it for a long time [compared to Odegaard and Maddison].”

Fernandes has recently taken over the armband permanently at Old Trafford following the demotion of Harry Maguire as club captain. “It is impossible to describe the way I feel,” he said. “It’s about trying to be myself because I think the way that I deliver on and off the pitch was what made the manager choose me as captain.”

The Portuguese man and his teammates will be looking for three points this Saturday, with Nottingham Forest visiting Old Trafford.