Why Bruno Fernandes has been Portugal's best player at the World Cup

DOHA, Qatar -- A year-and-a-half is simply a agelong clip successful football, but peculiarly for Bruno Fernandes and his Portugal career.

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In June 2021, the Manchester United midfielder was dropped by manager Fernando Santos for their European Championship round-of-16 necktie against Belgium, having played poorly during the radical stage. Portugal mislaid 1-0 and crashed out.

Fast-forward to the World Cup and Santos is again preparing his squad for a knockout crippled astatine a large tournament, against Switzerland astatine Lusail Stadium connected Tuesday. But this clip Fernandes' information isn't up for debate. He scored 2 goals and registered 2 assists successful the radical signifier and was rested for the last crippled against South Korea to prevention him for tougher tests to come.

Santos is often accused of not being capable to marque Portugal adhd up to the sum of their awesome parts but, successful Qatar astatine least, Fernandes is doing his bit. A squad stacked with talents similar Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo heads into the knockout signifier arsenic thing of an enigma -- slick 1 minute, sloppy the next. They volition request Fernandes to support his signifier to basal a accidental of going past the circular of 16 astatine a World Cup for the archetypal clip since reaching the semifinals successful 2006.

Fernandes was heavy criticised during the Euros, with Jose Mourinho saying aft a 4-2 decision to Germany successful the radical signifier that Fernandes was "on the transportation but not playing." There person been questions astatine United, excessively -- contempt scoring 53 goals successful 146 games since arriving from Sporting CP successful January 2020 successful a woody worthy up to €80 cardinal -- with astir centring connected his inclination to springiness the shot away.

In a Champions League lucifer against Istanbul Basaksehir successful November 2020, statistic showed that helium surrendered the shot 34 times arsenic United mislaid 2-1. A fewer weeks aboriginal helium gave the shot distant 17 times -- the astir of immoderate subordinate connected the transportation -- successful a Premier League crippled against Wolves, but this clip it was his walk which acceptable up a 90th-minute victor for Marcus Rashford.

Then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted afterward that Fernandes sometimes made him privation to "tear his hairsbreadth out" but insisted that, to get the champion retired of him, you person to instrumentality the bully with the bad.

"He is decidedly a subordinate who impacts results," said Solskjaer. "He creates chances, scores goals and takes risks, which immoderate Manchester United subordinate should beryllium allowed to bash and beryllium brave capable to do. He is decidedly a brave boy. He sees the pass. You can't instrumentality that distant from Bruno."

United primitively looked astatine signing Fernandes successful the summertime of 2019 but decided Sporting's asking terms was excessively precocious for a subordinate who conceded possession a lot, adjacent for an attacking subordinate being asked to instrumentality risks.

Solskjaer and existent United brag Erik 10 Hag person worked to amended his decision-making but speaking successful the summer, the 28-year-old insisted helium volition not wholly alteration his game.

"I support the shot erstwhile I deliberation I person to support it, I effort a walk erstwhile I deliberation I person to bash it and sometimes it goes good, sometimes wrong," helium said. "Obviously erstwhile it goes wrong, I cognize that shouldn't beryllium the one, but sometimes erstwhile you play successful the No. 10 presumption you person lone a fewer seconds to deliberation and power the shot and marque the pass, truthful it's not that overmuch clip to think."

Usually fixed a cardinal relation astatine United, for Portugal astatine the World Cup he's been utilized connected the close broadside of a beforehand 3 but with licence to drift inside. Like Solskjaer, Santos is asking Fernandes to interaction results. When Portugal were wobbling astatine 1-1 against Ghana successful their opening game, it was Fernandes who created 2 goals successful 2 minutes: archetypal with a delicious walk for Felix, past different for Rafael Leao. Against Uruguay, helium scored the archetypal with a sublime clipped transverse into the punishment country which Ronaldo couldn't link with and past scored a punishment having won it himself with a dart into the box.

Only England and Spain scored much than Portugal's six goals successful the radical stage, and Fernandes was straight progressive successful 4 of those. Ronaldo, adjacent astatine 37, remains the figurehead of Portugal's squad but if they are going to go genuine challengers successful Qatar it volition beryllium down to players similar Fernandes softly going astir their business.

This World Cup is being billed arsenic the extremity of an epoch successful Portugal with Ronaldo playing successful his 5th and last tourney and Santos' enactment arsenic manager apt to decorativeness aft 8 years. Facing Switzerland successful the 2nd circular connected Tuesday and perchance Spain successful the quarterfinals, cipher rather knows what to expect. So acold the lone changeless has been Fernandes' form. If Ronaldo and Santos are going to spell retired connected a high, they volition request it to transportation on.