“Back to his best” – Micah Richards hails Manchester United star after performance against Aston Villa

Micah Richards has hailed Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes following his impressive performance in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Fernandes scored twice for Manchester United but the Red Devils were unable to keep the lead as we conceded twice against Aston Villa.

“It was the Bruno Fernandes of last season. He really was back to somewhere near his best,” former Manchester City and England defender Richards said on BBC’s Match of the Day.

“He just dictated the game. He gets a bit lucky with the first goal but if you don’t shoot you don’t score.

“I just liked the way he dictated the game. He ticked things over and was always looking forward and organising the team.

“With all the talk of [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I really think Fernandes stepped up today and was the main man for United.”

Richards played down suggestions Fernandes is more effective when Cristiano Ronaldo is not in the team but admitted the midfielder ‘takes more responsibility’ when the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward is absent.

Asked whether Fernandes is better without Ronaldo, Richards responded: “I think it’s hard to say that but I think he takes more responsibility when Ronaldo’s not there, I think that’s the difference.

“That’s what we want to see. He is a quality player. You look at his goal returns and people are saying he’s not good enough for this United team, he’s more than good enough.”