Manchester United star set for early return after UEFA Nations League win

Stretty News

·16 November 2024

Manchester United star set for early return after UEFA Nations League win

Portugal registered a convincing 5-1 win over Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night and Bruno Fernandes got his name on the scoresheet.

Things didn’t go the way Roberto Martinez intended in the first half, but it would be fair to say Portugal blew Poland out of the water after the break.

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Portugal failed to register a shot on target in the first 45 minutes before scoring five goals in the second half. It was quite the turnaround.

AC Milan star Rafael Leao opened the scoring before the hour mark, which started a spree of Portugal goals.

Former United star Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace, while Chelsea’s Pedro Neto also got his name on the scoresheet.

Fernandes scored Portugal’s third goal with a sublime strike from outside the box. The United captain has five goals and two assists in his last five games for club and country.

The 30-year-old touched the ball 83 times and recorded a passing accuracy of 89%. On top of that, Fernandes made three crosses into the box and created three chances.

Fernandes picked up a yellow card during the game, which means he will miss next week’s Nations League clash against Croatia.

The good news for United is that he will return to Carrington early, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Bruno Fernandes right to return early

Photo by TNTSports on X

Ruben Amorim has two weeks at Carrington before his first game against Ipswich, but he will be without most of his players for that spell.

In fact, many of those involved in internationals won’t return until next Thursday, giving them three days to prepare for the trip to newly promoted Ipswich.

Fernandes’ suspension gives him a licence to return early to start work under Amorim.

Portugal also sealed their place on top of Group A1 after beating Poland last night. Martinez’s side has 13 points compared to Croatia’s 7.