Paulo Fonseca has heaped praise on Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes ahead of Roma's clash with Manchester United, calling Roma's Europa League semi-final against Manchester United the "biggest test" of his career.
Roma's domestic form has deteriorated since the return of the Europa League in February, but victories over Sporting Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Ajax have secured their place in the last four.
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The Giallorossi will be underdogs at Old Trafford on Thursday evening, up against a United side that has just lost one game in 21 prior to the first leg.
Fonseca, the head coach of Roma, is well aware of the magnitude of the challenge ahead of the teams' seventh meeting in the European competition.
‘I have seen several Champions League games, but I have to say that this is the best game in European competition,' he told ESPN. ‘Playing a semi-final against Manchester United is perhaps the most difficult task in my career and in European competitions.'
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The Portuguese coach, who took over from Claudio Ranieri in June 2019, thinks United has dangerous players all over the field, but he singled out Rashford as someone they will need to keep quiet in the match.
They have outstanding players who can settle a game in one situation, and we have to pay attention to these particular Manchester United circumstances,' Fonseca said. ‘I think Rashford is a fantastic player. He's enjoying a fantastic season. But I believe Manchester United is a great team as a whole.'
Still, I have to admit, we can't go to Manchester just to defend. We have to have the ball because I don't think we have a chance against Man United if we just defend close our box.' We need the confidence to play against Manchester United, to have the ball, to take the lead, to counter-attack, and to defend as quickly and as long as possible from our box.
‘I believe it is critical not to encourage Manchester United to strike quickly and to keep them away from our box.'
Fonseca is not shocked to see Fernandes thrive in England because he believes his countryman possesses the talent, leadership abilities, and never-say-die spirit needed to contend with the best. ‘
Bruno spent several years in Italy before returning to Portugal with Sporting, where he had a fantastic season,' he said. ‘The public realized the true worth of what he did as a sportsman; it was incredible. And what he's doing in Manchester is equally impressive.
He's a player with a good attitude who is really out to succeed. True, he arrived at Sporting a little late, but you can tell he's a player with a lot of experience. ‘I think the years he spent here in Italy, where football is extremely difficult for a midfielder like him, were very positive.'
But he developed too much in Italy, and he showed at Sporting that he can play at the highest level, as he is now in Manchester. The key point is Bruno's character. He's a soldier and a king, but he's still a high-quality player who's really clever.
I'm not impressed by what he's doing in Manchester, where he came and quickly established himself as an influential player at Manchester United. ‘He's confirming this, he's confirming the consistency, and he's currently one of Manchester United's key players.'
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