Manchester United take on Liverpool this afternoon with the hope of going six points clear at the top of the league. The odds are against us, with our last victory at Anfield coming in 2016, and Liverpool the current champions.

But Bruno Fernandes has given some reassurance to the fans when describing to the BBC his understanding of what the rivalry means to us and his desire to win that 21st title for United.

You don’t want your rivals at the same level as you or with the same amount of trophies as you. For us, every game has to mean the same but for the fans it is different. For the fans, the next day, going to talk to their friends who may be Liverpool fans it’ll be much better if they’ve been the winner rather than the loser. And it would be a lot more fun with 21 titles and Liverpool still on 19.

Fernandes has revolutionised United since joining almost a year ago. This week, he became the first player ever to win four Premier League player of the month awards in a calendar year. He’s made 48 appearances for the club, 44 from the start, and in that time has 27 goals and 17 assists to his name. That works out at 1.03 goal contributions per 90 minutes!

Bruno is quick to distance himself from claims United’s progress over the last year is all about him but suggests maybe his mindset has rubbed off on some players.

It is not about me. I’ve come to a club that is very demanding. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, a club that has won everything. I don’t think it was me changing the mindset of the club. If I changed the mindset of some players or my mindset helped some players to be better – maybe. But I don’t think it was me changing anything for the club because playing for Manchester United means playing with pressure and responsibility.