United Briefing: Who was annoying to play against?
The January 2021 edition of Inside United magazine includes a huge Q&A with birthday boy Alex Telles, who speaks in incredible detail about his life, career and journey to Old Trafford.
During his time in Portugal, when playing against historic rivals Sporting Lisbon, Telles came up against a certain Bruno Fernandes and experienced first-hand what it is like to face the cunning playmaker.
Now that they are team-mates at United, Alex is happy to tell Inside United magazine that Fernandes was “annoying to play against” and he's delighted his new friend is now on the same side.
“We were rivals on the pitch and today we're team-mates playing in the same team. I've said to him that at the time he was quite annoying to play against on the pitch, always wanting to win, obviously.
“He's a guy with a massive heart and immense quality, it's there for everybody to see and I don't need to talk any more about Bruno's quality. It's a pleasure to play with him. He is a great guy who is always willing to help everybody and he really makes a difference and that's great.”
On Saturday night, after the Manchester derby, Fernandes was voted our Man of the Match for the seventh time this season and that is more than half of the 13 prizes given out this campaign. Bruno’s star-man success notably followed his United and Premier League Player of the Month awards for November.
When asked to sum up the talisman's recent form, Telles is clear in his assessment: “My summary is simple: decisive! He's a decisive player. He may not stand out in one game or another, but he's still decisive.
“When he's in front of goal or from a free-kick, or penalty, he's always showing his quality. He's got a strong mind and personality in his vision and thinking. It's a source of pride and an honour to have someone like this in the team, someone that can help and motivate us in every game.”
Order a copy of Inside United to read the full interview with Alex Telles.
Inside United cover star Telles and Jesse Lingard are celebrating their 28th birthdays at the Aon Training Complex, as preparations continue for Thursday’s league match against Sheffield United.
Casey Stoney’s United Women are also hard at work as they prepare for Wednesday’s Continental League Cup game against Everton at Walton Hall Park, which you can watch live on MUTV.
As ever, don’t wait to watch our news bulletin United Daily from 18:00 GMT for the latest updates from around the club, including behind-the-scenes access to the training ground. Watch Monday's episode below...
United Daily: Monday’s news
Our first round-up of the week contains all the goals from the weekend, plus reaction to the Europa League draw…
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?
The Europa League draw paired United against Real Sociedad in the round of 16 and we provided live coverage of the UEFA ceremony, providing exclusive reaction from four ex-Reds and discussing all of the key talking points – which include Adnan Januzaj’s good form with the Spanish side.
On a more sombre note, the club was saddened to learn that former Liverpool and Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier had passed away. In tribute, Sir Alex Ferguson released a statement highlighting his friendship with the respected and much-loved Frenchman.