Pundit makes Martin Odegaard vs Bruno Fernandes claim amid Manchester United debate

Darren Bent has claimed he'd rather have Arsenal's Martin Odegaard and former Spurs midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart in his team over Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes.

The United playmaker, like the rest of the squad, has failed to live up to expectations required at Old Trafford this season but has still contributed nine goals and 14 assists this term. Following his move from Sporting CP in 2020, Fernandes made an instant impact, adding a different attacking option for United.

Fernandes became the highest goalscoring midfielder in the Premier League era in 2021, surpassing Frank Lampard's 2009/10 record. Odegaard has impressed since completing his permanent switch to the Emirates Stadium, and his form led the former Aston Villa striker to claim he would choose the Norwegian over the Portuguese international.

READ MORE: Paul Pogba issues update on his Manchester United future

"Of course, he’s been a very good player for Manchester United, but I’m still waiting for him to turn up when they really need him in those big games," he told talkSPORT. "Right now, I’d rather have Martin Odegaard with the way Arsenal are playing.

"I’m taking Odegaard in that role for Arsenal. He’s perfect for what Arsenal are doing right now.

"I wouldn’t swap him for Bruno. Van der Vaart at Spurs. He was better than Bruno."

We want your views, Reds. You can become even more involved with our Man United coverage by signing up. This will unlock a whole host of things - including joining the comments and taking part in our special Q&As, where you can speak directly to our reporters about what’s happening at Old Trafford this week and beyond.

Click here to get started.

Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from