Why Fernandes Let Rashford Take The Penalty Instead Of Scoring A Hat-trick

Bruno Fernandes has revealed the reason why Marcus Rashford took the penalty kick on Tuesday.

The Portuguese midfielder is rapidly turning out to be the classic Manchester United player. Filled with goals and assists, the 27-year-old added two more to his tally when the Red Devils took on Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.

The quick-flurry goals came from open play, with the first one, in particular, a piece of beauty itself. The former Sporting man will be pleased with scoring this way, especially since he has been associated with the penalty spot far too often.

Incidentally, when the chance did come for him to take a penalty and complete his hat-trick, Fernandes elected not to, instead giving the opportunity to Marcus Rashford who made no mistake in driving the ball home.

Speaking after the 4-1 win, Fernandes reveals precisely why that occurred to BT Sport: “Of course every player wants a hat-trick. But after the game in the Premier League I told Rashford that he could take the next one so I remembered that and also he’s one of the top scorers in the Champions League so it’s important for him to get the confidence. It doesn’t matter who takes the penalty as long as the team scores.”

This is not the first time that Fernandes has given up the chance to net his first hat-trick with United as a similar opportunity presented itself during their 3-0 win over Everton. In that game, the midfielder’s deft pass to create Edinson Cavani’s goal despite being on a hattrick spoke volumes of him being a team player.

Further, his tally for the season keeps going up and it is evident that he is well up to the Premier League’s style of play. At this rate, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and company need to focus on making the best out of him.