Michael Owen claims 'incredible' Man Utd star will be 'impossible' to replace

Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen (Picture: Getty)

Michael Owen fears Manchester United will find it almost ‘impossible’ to replace Bruno Fernandes if they decide to cash in on their captain this summer.

Fernandes has been in scintillating form since Michael Carrick ’s arrival as interim head coach following the sacking of Ruben Amorim .

The Portuguese midfielder was deployed deeper in a midfield two under Amorim, but has reaped the rewards of his more advanced attacking midfield role under Carrick.

The Red Devils skipper scored the second in United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham last weekend, and played the full 90 minutes as they fought back to rescue a 1-1 draw with West Ham on Tuesday.

Only Erling Haaland (27) has more than Fernandes’ 18 goal involvements this season, but despite that, there is still an element of doubt over the 31-year-old’s long-term future at Old Trafford .

Fernandes is under contract at United until 2027 with the option of a further year, but reports suggest that the midfielder has a £56.6 million (€65m) release clause in his current deal , which can only be triggered by overseas clubs.

And Owen believes that while the club may consider cashing in on their captain in the summer, it will not prove an easy task to replace his experience and output.

Bruno Fernandes has been in superb form since Michael Carrick’s arrival (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s an interesting one, isn’t it, because of his age. He has the quality, and that experience he brings, but it’s a business and everybody’s got a price,’ Owen, the UK ambassador for the online casino comparison site Casino.org, told Metro

‘If there’s going to be massive money that comes in, then it’s got to be a decision to be made. He’s obviously on big wages as well. But if he goes, it’s going to hit them hard. They’ll have to replace him with somebody good.

‘Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, Manchester United are flying now, how many players do they need to get to the next level to maybe go and challenge for the title?’ when really, it’s how do they replace one or two that are going to go as well as adding to improve the quality.

‘It’s a real tricky one because he is so good you can understand if massive money comes for somebody of that age, why it could be something that Manchester United would look at.

‘But trying to replace him would be nigh on impossible. So it’s watch this space, really, but it’s a bit of a conundrum for everybody involved.’

Fernandes’ performances in recent weeks have earned rave reviews, with former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy suggesting the Portugal international is currently ‘the best number ten in Europe’.

Fernandes’ contract runs out in 2027 (Picture: Getty)

And Owen agrees with his former teammate’s sentiments, saying of Fernandes: ‘He’s definitely one of them, isn’t he? The biggest compliment you can give him is that when Manchester United were struggling, and they have been struggling over the last few years, he was still a standout player.

‘I can’t tell you how hard that is and how rarely you will see it with teams. When they’re struggling, everybody struggles. It’s very, very rare that one player stands out and keeps his level and continues to play really well.

‘So, I’m even more impressed with him before this run. I know he’s probably playing better now, but to play really well in a struggling team takes a lot of character, and he did that for many years.

‘His numbers have been incredible. But now he’s playing in his rightful position, we’re seeing an upgrade again in his performances. It’s quite incredible how talented he is. I mean, he is seriously talented.

‘He’s got a great eye for pass, great vision, great delivery, great weight of pass, choice of pass to score himself. He’s just a seriously talented player, end of story.’