Time for Bruno to come out swinging
FERNANDES MUST PROVE HE CAN MATCH POGBA ON BIG STAGE
PORTUGAL V FRANCE 8PM
few Manchester United fans would disagree that Bruno Fernandes, not Paul Pogba, has emerged as the star of the show at Old Trafford this season.
Since arriving in January 2020 the Portuguese has won the fans’ Player Of The Season award for two years’ running while his French team-mate has shown all too brief flashes of his talent.
Yet in Budapest today Fernandes needs to grab top billing from Pogba and Co if Portugal are to keep their title defence alive. And, as his career has shown, knocking
Pogba from centre stage in an international shirt has proved more demanding.
Arriving off the back of a stellar club season of
28 goals and 17 assists in 58 outings, Fernandes has failed to make an impact in Portugal’s two games so far.
Against Hungary in their late smash and grab in
Budapest, it was the introduction of Rafa Silva which changed the dynamic and led to the goals.
And in Germany on Tuesday night the playmaker was largely anonymous. Portugal manager Fernando Santos hooked him after the hour by which time his side were already 4-1 down. Jose Mourinho was asked about Fernandes yesterday and did not spare him, insisting he needed to “turn up” at the tournament with one group game left and his country in need.
“He is a player with incredible potential,” said Mourinho. “He can pass, he can score, he can get penalties and score penalties, he can score free-kicks. “He has a lot to give but the reality is in these two matches he was not there. I hope he turns up against
Pogba seems to come alive for his country, liberated no doubt by having the ultimate defensive shield in N’Golo Kante alongside him.
Fernandes has appeared to struggle in the same side as Cristiano Ronaldo, but then the latter’s ownership of penalties and free-kicks may explain a low tally of four goals in 31
appearances for the United player. But just five assists in the same period seem a poor return for a player of Fernandes’s talent.
“France have fantastic attacking players but amazing players like Kante and Pogba who always play on the red line,” said manager Santos ahead of today’s match.
“But we are not worse than they are, we have very good attacking players.”
Portugal can lose to France and still progress with three points and a better goal difference than two other thirdFrance.” placed teams, but they need
Germany to avoid defeat against Hungary.
But Santos is not contemplating defeat and believes the fact that France have qualified for the knockout stage could play into Portugal’s hands.
“We need to fight more, we need to want it more than they do,” he said. “In 2016 in the final France thought they had us beat but that’s not at all what happened [Portugal won in extra-time].”