Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard have been two of the best attacking midfield players in the Premier League in recent years.
Odegaard has been criticised recently, but, when he’s at his best, he’s bordering on being a world-class player.
Meanwhile, Fernandes has been questioned at Manchester United recently, but he remains United’s very best player.
Speaking on The Final Third, Ally McCoist has been asked to pick which player he’d rather have – Fernandes or Odegaard, and he gave a rather interesting answer.
Ally McCoist picks between Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard
McCoist was asked to choose between Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard.
The pundit gave an interesting answer to this question.
McCoist said that if he was playing, he’d rather be alongside Fernandes due to his ability to score goals and create.
However, as a manager, McCoist would rather have Odegaard in his team, claiming that Fernandes’ antics would frustrate him.
Fernandes has been criticised for some of his on-field tantrums in recent times, and it would appear that McCoist isn’t a fan of that aspect of his game.
“Would you rather have in your team, Bruno Fernandes or Odegaard? As a player and as a manager?” McCoist was asked.
“As a player, I’m going to go for Fernandes. As a manager, I’d maybe go for Odegaard,” McCoist said.
“I think Fernandes, sometimes for whatever reason, his antics would frustrate me. You know, his hands up in the air and his toys out of the pram.
“I think Odegaard would give you less problems, if any problems at all. But, as a player, I think Fernandes would score more goals, more important goals as a teammate and he’s going to create me chances.”
Martin Odegaard compared to Bruno Fernandes
McCoist’s argument here is easy to sum up simply by looking at the numbers.
Fernandes creates more than Odegaard and he also scores more, that’s what makes him a fantastic footballer.
However, Fernandes can also be a manager’s nightmare at times, as shown by the fact he’s been sent off twice this season.
| Bruno Fernandes | Martin Odegaard | |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Games | 32 |
| 16 | Goals | 5 |
| 15 | Assists | 8 |
| 2 | Red cards | 0 |
Odegaard has been praised for his leadership, while Fernandes has been questioned as a leader in recent times.
As a manager, you may be better off having Odegaard in your team, but, in terms of who is the better footballer, there’s a strong argument to make that Fernandes is ahead of the Arsenal captain.
