Bruno Fernandes makes honest admission over Man Utd role after criticism

Bruno Fernandes has missed two of the three penalties that he’s taken for Manchester United this season, raising questions over whether he should remain their first choice

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has admitted that he needs to ‘study better’ after his woes from the penalty spot this season. Fernandes, 31, has taken three penalties since the new Premier League campaign began but he’s only scored one.

That was a stoppage-time winner against Burnley to seal a 3-2 win that some believe saved Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim’s job. But the week before during the 1-1 draw at Fulham, Fernandes blazed his spot-kick over the bar, having bumped into the referee during his preparation.

Last month, Fernandes had the chance to level the scores in United’s trip to Brentford. But his effort was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, as the Red Devils suffered a 3-1 defeat.

Fernandes is set to come up against Kelleher on Saturday when Portugal take on the Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying. The midfielder was asked about his penalty record in a press conference and replied: “This season, out of three, I ended up missing two.

“I don’t want to miss any of them. It’s something I need to study better. I’ll always do it with full conviction because there’s a coach who trusts me.”

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Although he’s unlikely to take a penalty against Kelleher, given that Cristiano Ronaldo is his team-mate for Portugal, Fernandes was asked about facing the Brentford goalkeeper once again. “Every day is a good day to settle scores,” the United star added.

“He was stronger. He did very well, and I didn’t. But it’s not something that affects my head. In a football team, there’s something bigger than individuality. Winning is much more important than settling scores with the Irish goalkeeper.”

Should Manchester United keep Bruno Fernandes on penalties? Have your say in the comments section.

Fernandes was also quizzed on his future at Old Trafford. The 31-year-old was the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia in the summer transfer window, with Al-Hilal ready to launch a £100million bid and give Fernandes a contract worth £200m.

He rejected their advances and stayed at United, where he’s under contract until 2027. “I didn’t close the door on moving to Saudi Arabia because of the World Cup,” Fernandes affirmed.

“That was never in my mind. I wanted to stay at Manchester United, and the club wanted me to stay. That’s all there is to it.

“I like to enjoy the moment, and the most important thing for me now is representing the national team, because it’s a source of enormous pride to be able to play tomorrow [Saturday], and I still don’t know if I’ll play, let alone if I’ll leave Manchester United in a year. I’m happy where I am; otherwise, I wouldn’t have stayed, but it’s something that doesn’t affect me.”

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