Evra: 'Fernandes was the boss after Ronaldo left'

"Bruno Fernandes has to be the center of the game," Evra told Amazon Prime after Man Utd beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in round 17 of the Premier League on December 28. "When Ronaldo is no longer here, you can feel that Bruno is the 'boss' again. He is the one who takes the free kicks and the corners. That's exactly what Bruno needs."

In the first game in the Premier League after Ronaldo was gone, Man Utd played smoothly and won Nottingham Forest 3-0 thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred. Fernandes played prominently and created many opportunities, but there were no assists because his teammates did not take advantage of the opportunities he created.

This season, when Ronaldo was at Man Utd, Fernandes' yellow cards (7 cards) were more than the number of times he scored goals (6 times). Before that, in the first 18 months at Old Trafford, Fernandes contributed 65 goals for Man Utd.

Evra also revealed that he once asked Fernandes if the Portuguese midfielder had difficulty playing with Ronaldo at Man Utd, but did not receive a clear answer. "He didn't want to say it out loud, like 'not everyone I can play with,'" Evra shared. "But as the French say, you can't have two chefs in the same restaurant. So I'm not surprised by Bruno Fernandes' performance after Ronaldo left."

Evra played for Man Utd between 2006–2014, scoring seven goals in 273 appearances for the club and winning five Premier League titles. The French defender was the mainstay of the generation of Man Utd that won the 2008 Champions League, and with Man Utd twice in the Champions League final.

Man Utd is ranked fifth in the Premier League, just one point behind Tottenham and playing one game less than the opponent. Since Ronaldo left, the Red Devils have won two matches, scored five goals and have yet to concede.