Louis Saha gave his thoughts on the current state of play at Manchester United in a recent interview with Paddy Power.

He spoke on the recent criticism thrown at Bruno Fernandes, showing sympathy for the Portuguese star. He said that ‘everyone is allowed to have bad performances’ and that people questioning his leadership abilities are being ‘totally unfair’.

He also gave his views on the newly-signed Mason Mount. He was not quite as kind towards the Englishman, saying he ‘expected better numbers’ from him and that he is ‘playing too deep’.

Saha played for United between the years of 2004 and 2008, scoring 28 Premier League goals during that period. He also played for clubs such as Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland over the course of his career.

What did Saha say about criticism of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes?

On Fernandes, Saha said: “It’s too early to question Bruno Fernandes as Manchester United captain. I keep hearing people jump on the bandwagon and criticise them so early in the season, but everyone is allowed to have bad performances, the team has the right to do that.

“Last year Manchester United didn’t start very well either, and questioning Bruno as captain material is not on at all. If he scored or assisted in the first two games, no one would talk about it, it’s totally unfair.

“The team hasn’t performed, the energy level hasn’t been there, and the tactics maybe weren’t right. I am not sure what needs to be changed but the first two games have not been good enough. They need to wake up and perform the way we know they can, it’s not fair to only target Bruno.”

What did Louis Saha have to say regarding Mason Mount?

On the acquisition of Mason Mount, Saha said: “It’s too early to say whether Mason Mount made the right move. It’s not just the first couple of games, but during preseason I expected better numbers, for assists or goals. The situations are not there for him at the moment because he’s playing too deep.

“He’s playing in middle of pockets where he’s either half pressing or trying to dictate the game, and it’s really unclear where he’s supposed to be. Sometimes I’ve seen him in some positions where he’s not going to have an impact or have enough space.

“If they [Manchester United] manage to recover the ball higher up the field, and then Mount can provide the kind of legs that they need but at the moment it’s not quite happening.

“I’m sure that he’s happy at Manchester United and it’s still early in the season. If we’re in the same situation 15 games into the season, and Mount’s form still hasn’t improved, then I can understand the comments by the media.

“At the end of the day, the season is very long, and he will improve because he is not a finished product. I have no doubt he will improve as the season goes on.”