'Bruno Fernandes is not a No.10. He is a box-to-box player'

Manchester United have been told to deploy Bruno Fernandes as a box-to-box midfielder to utilise his skills properly rather than higher up in the No 10 role.

That's the view of former Sporting Lisbon manager Carlos Carvalhal who is effusive in his praise of the Red Devils' £68million new acquisition.

Fernandes swapped Sporting for United last month and made his debut in the 0-0 draw at home to Wolves on February 1, playing in a higher role in the first half before being deployed deeper after the interval.

And Carvalhal, who managed Sporting during the 2009-10 season, believes that Fernandes is best suited in the traditional No 8 position as it allows him to truly flourish.

'He [Fernandes] is not a No 10,' Carvalhal told Sky Sports. 'He is a midfielder but he has developed that ability to break the line of the defence to score goals.

'He shoots, he assists, the passes and the free-kicks. But he is not a No 10, he is a No 8. He is a box-to-box player who understands very well the game. He doesn't just play. He understands everything that happens around him.

'He can organise the team, he can talk, he can give feedback. He is kind of like a manager on the pitch. He can organise things in the last part of the pitch. He is a really exciting player.'

Carvalhal, who faced Fernandes twice this season as manager of Portuguese side Rio Ave, added that the 25-year-old won't have trouble adapting to English football.

'Sometimes these technical players, it is their quality in the defensive transition that is a problem in the Premier League. When they lose the ball, they don't react quickly enough to win it back, but he has developed a lot in the past two seasons.

'When his team loses the ball, he reacts quickly to win the ball back. That is important in England. He is not lazy, he is the opposite. A fighter. He has everything to be a key player.'