"Cristiano was part of our team for half the season" - Bruno Fernandes hits back at claims that he was taking a dig at Ronaldo after Man Utd win
Bruno Fernandes has hit back at claims that he took a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo after Manchester United's win against Manchester City on Saturday (14 January) at Old Trafford.
Jack Grealish opened the scoring in the derby around the hour-mark to send the away fans into delirium. A win here would have seen the Cityzens reduce the gap between themselves and Arsenal to two points for at least 26 hours.
Man Utd, however, had other plans. Bruno Fernandes scored the equalizer in the 78th minute in controversial fashion after Marcus Rashford wasn't adjudged offside in the build-up.
The England international, who was offside when the pass was played, seemed like he was going to get on the end of Casemiro's ball. But he left it at the last moment for Fernandes, who scored the goal.
Bruno on Instagram:
"Do not use my name to attack Cristiano!" https://t.co/yKMmn5vzVm
Rashford scored the winner four minutes later. Following the game, Fernandes told BT Sport (h/t Daily Mail):
"[We] used to be individuals, now we are a team. You can see a proper team that works for each other."
This was interpreted by many as a dig at Ronaldo, who left the club by mutual consent in November. However, the former Sporting CP playmaker has taken to social media to clarify his comments.
He wrote on his Instagram:
"I know that is difficult to see Manchester United doing well, [but I] don't have anything to [say] about us on the news apart good things. on't use my name to attack Cristiano. Cristiano was part of our team for half the season and as I said in many interviews, everyone since Liverpool is being amazing and acting like a proper team and you can see the results. We carry on!"
Bruno Fernandes' Manchester United have been in good form since Cristiano Ronaldo's exit
Bruno Fernandes' comments about Manchester United working together as a team rings true given their form in recent weeks.
The last time they lost was during Cristiano Ronaldo's last appearance for the club. He started with the captain's armband in a 3-1 loss against Aston Villa on 6 November.
Manchester United replaced Cristiano Ronaldo with Wout Weghorst 😵💫 https://t.co/YqxTk2eiJH
The Red Devils have won nine games in a row across competitions since. Ronaldo left the club two games after the loss against the Villans and recently joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Bruno Fernandes, his international teammate, has been influential recently as well. He has either scored or assisted in the last three league games for his team.
While Harry Maguire is the de facto captain, his lack of playing time means the armband rests more often than not with vice-captain Fernandes.