Former Manchester United and England striker Teddy Sheringham feels Bruno Fernandes is the ‘kingpin’ at Old Trafford now, saying he’s a ‘proper leader’ on the pitch.
Michael Carrick’s Man Utd troops slumped to a shock defeat to Hull City on the opening day of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
But they responded in style in their first home game of the new campaign, in which Fernandes netted a hat-trick to help Man United recover from 1-0 down to beat Ipswich Town 5-2.
Carrick’s Red Devils travel to Merseyside on Sunday for a 2pm clash with former United manager David Moyes’ Everton team.
Leads by example
Sheringham believes Fernandes has stepped up when his team needed him, telling an exclusive chat with BetVictor Online Casino: “Bruno Fernandes can compete for the 2027 Ballon d’Or, without a doubt.
“I mean, he’s been the kingpin over the last six, seven years at Man Utd.
“He leads by example on the football pitch, even when they’re having a tough time.
“He comes to the fore. I think he’s been fantastic. There were question marks at one time over Fernandes, but no more. Not for me.
“He’s a proper leader on the football pitch, always wants the ball, always demanding more from his teammates. I think he’s a proper Man United legend for me now.”
Fully focused
England winger Marcus Rashford is back in the fold under Carrick after returning from a loan spell with Barcelona last season.
And Sheringham feels he is ‘focused’ on making a fist of his Man Utd career under Carrick, saying: “You’ve got to let Marcus Rashford get on with it now.
“He looks like he’s focused. Michael obviously had a chat with him, gave him a clean slate and said, ‘Look, don’t worry about what’s going to happen.’
“Sometimes you’ve got to change people’s minds about you on the football pitch and from the stands in terms of how they perceive you.
“As long as you’re working your socks off, the crowd will warm to you.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re playing for Accrington Stanley or Dagenham & Redbridge or Man United. If you’re working your socks off, the crowd will stick with you.
“I think that’s always been leveled at Rashford over the years, but as long as he does that for Man United, everyone will be happy.
“He looks like he has the right focus at the moment, so long may that continue.”
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Top centre-half
Harry Maguire is another player thriving under the tutelage of Carrick after struggling for game time under former manager, Ruben Amorim.
Sheringham said in the interview: “Harry Maguire is one of these players that has taken a lot of stick at Man United over his period of being there.
“But for me, he’s still a top centre-half. Maybe he looks a little bit ungainly, like Gary Pallister used to, big and gangly.
“Maybe Maguire looks a little bit heavy at times, but you should never judge a book by its cover.
“You only have to look at people like Peter Crouch, who did a great job, you’d never think he would be a footballer just by looking at him.
“Even Gazza, when he was carrying a bit of weight, you thought he was a fat little sausage, but wow, what a player.
“And Chris Waddle over the years, you looked at his long arms, loping around, and his shoulders, and you thought, ‘How’s he going to go past anyone?’
“And then all of a sudden he’d make people fall over without even touching the ball and you’d go, ‘What a player.’
“I think Harry Maguire is one of those types that looks a little bit ungainly, but he does a job.
“You know, centre-backs always need to be in the right place at the right time without using up too much energy. And I think that’s exactly what he does, he’s normally in the right place.
“Every now and again he gets caught out in the wrong position, and you become a cropper when that’s the case. But 90% of the time, Harry’s in the right position.”
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SportJustSport writers