Bruno Fernandes, a midfielder for Manchester United, has explained why he struggled for the team last year.
Fernandes claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford last summer had nothing to do with his dropoff performance for Manchester United last season.
In 53 appearances for the Red Devils before Ronaldo’s spectacular return to the Theatre of Dreams from Juventus, Fernandes amassed a mouthwatering 29 goals and 19 assists.
Since then, he has played 40 times while wearing a Manchester United jersey, contributing eight goals and seven assists, a confirmation that he suffered a significant drop in form after the arrival of Ronaldo.
However, Bruno Fernandes has denied claims that playing with Cristiano Ronaldo contributed to his decline in performance during the previous season.
Ronaldo has been obliged to play a patient approach by manager Erik ten Hag because the two Portuguese stars have only started one Premier League game together this season.
Although Bruno Fernandes has appeared more alert and immersed himself more recently, he didn’t want to contribute that to Ronaldo’s less involvement with the team as compared to last season.
Ronaldo, who returned to Old Trafford from Juventus last summer, scored his first goal of the year in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over FC Sheriff in the Europa League last week.
The 37-year-old scored an amazing 24 goals across all competitions last season, despite the Red Devil’s overall difficulties.
In contrast, Fernandes scored a meager ten goals as opposed to the 28 he scored in the 2020/2021 season. Some believed that his decline in performance was brought on by playing with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bruno Fernandes said, “the majority of my assists last season were for him (Ronaldo), so I don’t think [that it’s fair]. Simply put, my season’s numbers were dismal. It’s not about Cristiano or me, in my opinion.
“Before he arrived, I was also taking the penalties, but during the previous season, I missed both of my opportunities. Cristiano taking penalties is therefore not my fault, especially when he scores them.”
The Portuguese added “He was the one who handed me the ball and told me to “go yourself and score when I failed to score against Arsenal in April.
“He seemed to have faith in me to step up and score in the crucial situation even though I missed it. I, therefore, don’t believe it is because of Cristiano; rather, I believe it is because, at times, I didn’t give my all to score goals or provide assists.”
Bruno Fernandes Referring to their time spent together in Portugal, Fernandes continued: “He (Ronaldo) and I are teammates on the national team, and he is always on the field when I score.
It is advantageous to deploy Cristiano as a No. 10 since he is so well-respected by his teammates and opponents, who are wary of him stealing the ball and scoring.
