LEEDS: Former Portugal captain Costinha heaped praise on Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and called his compatriot a 'fantastic player'.
"He is a fantastic footballer. I don't know him as a person, but sometimes I message him on Instagram. I remember his debut at United (against Wolves) and his socks were down after 70 minutes," Goal.com quoted Costinha as saying.
"I said to him: 'Don't worry about that.' I saw in his head he was tired and wanted to come off. He wasn't used to the rhythm. I just said: 'Don't worry, once you get used to that rhythm with all the intelligence in your head and ability in your feet, then it will be easier for you.'," he added.
25-year-old Fernandes joined Manchester United in January and has contributed three goals and four assists in his first nine appearances for the club.
Costinha said Fernandes is making 'very good progress'.
"He is making very good progress and he is playing very well for United. They need time after moving on from Sir Alex Ferguson under new leadership and with a different mentality, but they still play to win every tournament," he said.
"The history of Manchester United tells you to win every tournament. If you go there, you have to win all the cups, and that includes the Champions League. You are talking about Man United - it is one of the biggest clubs in the world," Costinha added.