Bruno Fernandes pulls a Cristiano Ronaldo and coaches Manchester United players from touchline during Brighton FA Cup clash
Bruno Fernandes channeled his inner Cristiano Ronaldo as he coached his teammates from the touchline in Manchester United's FA Cup semi-final clash against Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday (23 April).
The Portugal international was taken off in the 101st minute for Wout Weghorst with the scoreline at 0-0. Fernandes couldn't bear to watch the rest of the game silently and was seen heavily involved in coaching his teammates from the sidelines.
The de-facto Manchester United captain even gave his team a pep-talk at the end of the first half of extra time before engaging with Luke Shaw for a one-on-one session. The scenes were reminiscent of when Fernandes' compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo coached his teammates in the UEFA Euro 2016 final against France.
The Portugal icon was taken off in the 25th minute with an injury but that didn't stop him from jumping around the touchline alongside manager Fernando Santos. He was seen giving rousing pep talks and shouting instructions to his Portuguese teammates as his team ran out 1-0 winners.
While Eder scored in the 109th minute on that occasion, Manchester United and Brighton failed to break the deadlock after playing more than two hours of football. The game went all the way to penalties, with the Red Devils flawlessly scoring with all seven of their kicks.
Solly March's miss proved to be decisive as Erik ten Hag's side set up an FA Cup final date with Manchester City on June 3.
How Bruno Fernandes reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United exit
After a tumultuous time under Erik ten Hag. where he started just four league games all season, Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual consent on November 22.
The decision came just a few days before Portugal's 2022 FIFA World Cup opener against Ghana. After his exit, speculation was rife about a potential disharmony in Portugal's dressing room, which also contained Ronaldo's former United teammates Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.
However, Fernandes was quick to shut down such rumors. Speaking shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo's unceremonious exit from Old Trafford, the former Sporting CP playmaker said, via MARCA:
"It is a privilege to play for the national team with Cristiano, and it was a dream to play at the club (Man United), I've always said that. Cristiano has always been an inspiration for me and it was a dream come true to be able to play with Cristiano the club, but we know that nothing lasts forever."
Portugal's World Cup campaign ended with a disastrous 1-0 quarter-final loss against Morocco. The five-time Ballon d'Or was used as a substitute in both knockout games, with Fernandes starting in all but one of Portugal's five games in Qatar.