Manchester United fans are immensely proud of Bruno Fernandes’ continued exploits for Portugal. But they feel they can temporarily do without him.
Bruno Fernandes scored his 20th goal for Portugal last night in a 5-2 thrashing of Victor Lindelof‘s Sweden.
While this is 108 goals short of incredible teammate Cristiano Ronaldo‘s 128, it’s a fine achievement, and Fernandes is emerging as an even more important player.
Fernandes was rated as the best player in Euro 2024 qualifying, where Portugal reached the finals with a 100 per cent record. He scored six goals and provided seven assists along the way.
Bruno Fernandes heading back to Manchester
Portugal know what a special player they have with Bruno Fernandes, and how important he is. And thankfully, they see nothing to gain from playing him in next Tuesday night’s friendly match with Slovenia.
Speaking after Portugal’s victory over Sweden, manager Roberto Martinez explained Fernandes will play no part in the next match.
He was quoted by O Jogo: “We have eight arriving for the second game. It’s important to work on different concepts.
“Bernardo [Silva], Rúben Dias, [Joao] Palhinha, [Nelson] Semedo, Toti [Gomes], Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes and Gonçalo Ramos are leaving. I hope that high-level players arrive, with hunger and energy.”
Bruno Fernandes rarely misses any games, so this is a valuable rest for him. The only Manchester United match he missed this season was away at Liverpool, due to suspension.
Fernandes played all 90 minutes in Portugal’s win over Sweden, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Rest ahead of Manchester United’s next game
Manchester United return to action next Saturday, away at Brentford on Saturday 30 March.
This was a fixture United lost 4-0 last season, and while lots has changed since the August 2022 fixture, it is not expected to be an easy game for Erik ten Hag’s side.
It is good therefore that Bruno Fernandes will be getting an extra rest and recovery time, extra time at home with his family, and a little breather.
After the game at Brentford, United face Chelsea in the Premier League the following Thursday night, and then Liverpool at Old Trafford again on the Sunday.
Club captain Fernandes is expected to start every single one of those matches, and it is great news for Manchester United fans to hear the 29-year-old is getting a rest, and also avoids the risk of injury in Portugal’s game against Slovenia.