Schweinsteiger highlights Man Utd's "brain" and "leader" ahead of restart

Bastian Schweinsteiger has heaped praise on Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro as Manchester United prepare to return to competitive action next week.

The Red Devils face Burnley in the Carabao Cup in their first game after the World Cup, before entertaining Nottingham Forest in the Premier League a week later. Erik ten Hag's side will be keen to pick up the form they left off before the tournament, with United winning five games in six heading into the international break.

In the lead-up to the restart, former United midfielder Schweinsteiger has revealed his admiration for two Red Devils players and hailed Fernandes as the "brain" at the club. The Portuguese star has been a key cog in the wheel at Old Trafford since his £67million move from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.

"I call him 'the brain'," Schweinsteiger said of Fernandes in an interview with United's official website. "Like he literally moves so smart on the field and do you know what, you actually like kind of underestimate [his work rate].

"Of course, he's making his assists, or he is scoring the goals and makes great passes but Bruno Fernandes, he is working very hard. His numbers are high [for the distance] he runs on the field, and I really like watching him because whatever he does, it makes sense."

Fernandes hit the ground running at the Red Devils, grabbing eight goals and seven assists in his first 14 league appearances at the club as they scraped into the Champions League on the final day of the season. The 28-year-old added a further 45 goal contributions in his first full campaign at the Red Devils - an impressive return for Fernandes as he cemented himself as a fans' favourite at the club.

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Meanwhile, Casemiro hasn't quite had the same impact as Fernandes although the Brazilian has only been at the club a matter of months since his move from Real Madrid in August. Schweinsteiger has admitted his admiration of the five-time Champions League winner and has described him as the "leader" in the United side.

"Casemiro is one of the best, definitely in that position, at the moment," Schweinsteiger added. "He sniffs the danger quite well and he is a good passer. He scored an amazing goal against Switzerland [in the World Cup] as well and he is a very important piece for the Brazilian national team.

"He is one of the leaders there, and you can see that, and you can feel that and, yeah, I hope he can bring the sharpness back on the Manchester United field as well."

Casemiro is one of the most coveted central midfielders in world football, having won a plethora of major honours during his illustrious career. The 30-year-old also won three LaLiga titles and one Copa del Rey during his time at Los Blancos.