Pranav Nair
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes gives the inside scoop of his set piece competence
According to BBC Sport (h/t Express), Manchester United superstar, Bruno Fernandes has opened up on his prowess on set pieces following Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the club.
The 27-year-old has been the club’s default penalty taker since joining the club in 2020. To his credit, Fernandes has scored almost every time and has shown himself to be a reliable player.
Ronaldo took the penalties while he was at United earlier in his career and has since held the same responsibility at Real Madrid, Juventus and for the Portuguese national team. All eyes will be on who will step up for United when the referee points to the spot next.
According to the report, Fernandes may have dropped a hint as to what will happen next. The midfield maestro went on to reveal that he prefers to take freekicks over penalties. He believes it is much more rewarding to score from the former than the latter.
“For me personally, free-kicks are something I practice and I want to get the reward of scoring. I prefer free-kicks over penalties.”
Whether this is an indication as to him surrendering spot-kick duties to Ronaldo remains to be seen. The duo could very well share the responsibility, with Fernandes taking over as the designated free-kick taker and Ronaldo being assigned to take penalties.
Fernandes also opened up on his unorthodox penalty-taking style where he takes a hop before striking the ball. He reveals that it was a trick he picked up from a coach while at Sampdoria. Given the success he has had, it worked out for the best.
“I started training like that, and it became the best way to take a penalty.”
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Ronaldo’s arrival makes him the main man at United and Fernandes will need to for now at least be happy in his shadow. But that is to be expected given that the veteran is one of the greatest to ever play the game.
The fact that Fernandes can still hold his own shows the talent he brings to the table.
