Bruno Fernandes has played down the severity of a knock he suffered in Portugal’s dramatic Nations League victory over Scotland, insisting it was ‘just a little bump’.
Portugal rallied after going a goal down to win 2-1 in Lisbon, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming off the bench to direct Nuno Mendes’ inviting cross beyond Angus Gunn at the death.
Fernandes – celebrating his 30th birthday – had earlier levelled the score from long range, cancelling out Scott McTominay’s seventh-minute header to set up a tense finish at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.
The result ensured Portugal’s 100 per cent record in the competition continued after Roberto Martinez’s men defeated Croatia by the same scoreline on Thursday night.
There was a slight concern for Portugal and Manchester United fans as Fernandes appeared to be struggling with an ankle problem before Ronaldo’s last-ditch winner – the forward’s 901st career goal.
However, Fernandes remained on the field until the final whistle allayed fears over a potential spell on the sidelines as he spoke with Portuguese media after the game.
Asked for an update on his ankle after Portugal’s win, Fernandes replied: ‘It’s okay. It’s just a little bump.’
Fernandes’ comments will no doubt come as a great relief to Erik ten Hag, with Manchester United facing Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League next weekend.
The attacking midfielder, who took over the captain’s armband from Harry Maguire last summer, has started all three of the side’s opening matches in the English top flight this season.
Fernandes made his 600th career appearance in Portugal’s defeat of Scotland and, remarkably, the United skipper has only missed four games through injury in that time.
According to Fernandes, Portugal proved their doggedness and ‘resilience’ by coming from behind to beat a ‘very tough’ Scotland side.
‘Scotland are a very tough team, with very high-quality players, almost all of their squad play in the Premier League and that shows in their quality right away,’ he added.
‘They are tough, physically strong and, what’s more, they are players who know how to handle the ball and they are very dangerous from set-pieces.
‘We knew that before the match, but we ended up conceding a goal at a bad time.
‘But this game shows our resilience and the way we knew how to react to adversity, coming from behind and then winning the game.’
‘It wasn’t a perfect day, I would have preferred it to be a less difficult game.
‘It’s always rewarding to score for the national team and to win on your birthday and to be able to celebrate with Portugal, even better.’
Fernandes backed Ronaldo to reach the 1,000-goal milestone before he decides to hang up his boots.
‘The influence is always the same, regardless of whether he starts on the bench or not,’ the former Sporting man went on.
‘Everyone who came on made a difference. Cristiano got a goal, today he scored his 901st and now he is on his way to 1,000 goals, which is what he wants.’
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