Bruno Fernandes’ Incredible Training Ground Story Before Liverpool Game
Pool via REUTERS/Martin Rickett
Bruno Fernandes came off the bench to add to Liverpool’s misery by dumping the Reds out of the FA Cup.
The Portuguese midfielder has been Premier League’s most productive player since he first pulled on the United shirt, but after failing to stamp his authority against Man City in the Carabao Cup semi-final and Liverpool in the league, he was slammed for going missing in the big games of late.
Nonetheless, in a similar manner to his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernandes silenced the doubters in style in the 78th minute of the game.
With the score at 2-2, the 26-year-old secured Manchester United’s progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup by firing his free-kick past Alisson’s right-hand post.
He could’ve also broken the deadlock last weekend, as he was inches away from curling the ball into the top left corner at Anfield.
The goal against a ‘Big 6′ side, especially from a similar set-piece situation, is a product of dedication to work on every aspect of his game in training – akin to Ronaldo.
His manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, also attested to Fernandes’ practice in training in his post-match interview to BBC, saying: “When you leave him [Bruno Fernandes] out like I did today, he stayed about 45 minutes after training yesterday shooting free kicks so I was pretty confident he could score one if he got the chance.”
The former Sporting Lisbon man will have to continue to fight off the doubters, as now he’s tasked with finding the back of the net from open-play against a ‘Big 6’ team this season.