Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has given his verdict on the recent links between Manchester United and Marco Reus.

The Lowdown: Man United consider Reus loan

According to journalist Christian Falk, Erik ten Hag's side were considering a loan move for the Borussia Dortmund star.

The 33-year-old has featured in nine Bundesliga games for Dortmund this season, with two goals and assists to his name.

Reus has already picked up three injury problems this season - all of them involving his ankle - causing him to miss 11 games for the German outfit.

The Latest: 'Conversations' have been held

Romano spoke about the current situation surrounding the Premier League side and Reus on The United Stand, claiming Man United had spoken to the player's agents, although the situation itself is pretty quiet.

He stated: "I’m told it’s true that they had some conversations with the agents of Marco Reus. He's one of the players they considered, they spoke to, so it's true that they had some conversations, but at the same time, I'm told that at the moment, it's not a negotiation.

"So Man United didn't make any bid to Marco Reus, they are not in advanced talks to sign Marco Reus in the summer, so at the moment, is still a quiet situation.

"It's just a conversation and it's absolutely normal for a top club like Man United to explore options, to speak to agents, to speak to players."

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The Verdict: Ten Hag loves Fernandes

Interestingly, Man United and Louis van Gaal were interested in a £50m bid for the midfielder.

Reus boasts incredible goalscoring stats, with 156 goals and 117 assists in all competitions for Dortmund, but Man United already have an excellent attacking midfielder in Bruno Fernandes.

Ten Hag is clearly a fan of the Portuguese star, as he told Sky Sports "there are not many players who are as good in transition as Bruno."

Where Fernandes excels over Reus is his ability to create chances. The Red Devils midfielder has averaged 4.85 progressive passes per game in the last 365 days, whilst the Dortmund man has only amassed 2.96 in the same timeframe.

Attempted passes is another area where Fernandes comes out on top over Reus, as per 90 minutes, the Portuguese star will strive to make 56.72 passes. The German ace achieves a much lower tally as he averages 32.27 passes for Dortmund.

With Ten Hag’s recent comments about Fernandes’ outstanding talent, it's hard to see Reus getting in over him in a position he tends to occupy.