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Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Chelsea winger Pedro Neto possesses the same lethal quality as Man United star Bruno Fernandes, capable of punishing opponents if given even a centimetre of space.
Pedro Neto has had a rather up-and-down season at Chelsea. He’s failed to score in the Premier League since December, though he did manage to grab a hat-trick against Hull City in February.
His discipline has been a big talking point, as Neto was sent off for the most ridiculous of challenges whilst on a yellow card against Arsenal.
And it was a similar story for Portugal during the international break, where Neto seemingly lashed out at a Mexican player for very little reason and was fortunate not to be sent off.
However, there’s no doubting he has quality on his day, but he needs to focus on the right things moving forward for Chelsea.
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Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images Mauricio Pochettino names Pedro Neto as a dangerous player
Portugal secured a 2-0 win over the United States during the international break, which saw Neto come up against former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
After the game, Pochettino was very complimentary of a few Portugal players, with Neto included (as per B/R Football).
“I think we are going to have three or four weeks to work before the World Cup and we are going to be pushing in all these types of situation that when you, after four months, and you don’t really don’t have too much time you can tell the player but the player need to feel after on the pitch in training sessions doing this type of scene.
“That is why this type of mistake is not crazy, but in this type of game, players like Neto, Ramos, Bruno, Felix and when you have a centimetre, it’s possible that they can score.”
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Pedro Neto is a long way off Bruno Fernandes’ quality this season
While Mauricio Pochettino recently drew parallels between the two, Pedro Neto remains statistically a long way off the playmaking standards set by Bruno Fernandes this season.
Neto has been a valuable outlet for Liam Rosenior, providing five goals and four assists in 29 Premier League appearances, yet these numbers pale in comparison to Fernandes’ league-leading influence.
The Manchester United captain has already racked up a staggering 16 assists and 8 goals, positioning himself as the frontrunner for the Golden Playmaker award.
The gap is most evident in underlying creativity; Fernandes has created 90 chances compared to Neto’s 44, nearly doubling the Chelsea winger’s output in the final third.
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