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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo is confused as to why no club has swooped in to sign Bruno Fernandes this summer.
In case you didn't know
There were many reports linking Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to the Sporting midfielder but no move materialised and the English transfer window shut.
This is a surprise, considering Fernandes’ form last season, when he scored a staggering 32 goals and provided 18 assists in 53 appearances. He was the highest-scoring midfielder across Europe’s top five leagues in the 2018-19 season. He has already scored and assisted once in the current season for Sporting.
Such attacking prowess would have been beneficial for any team, especially Manchester United, who struggled to score against Wolves in their last Premier League match.
The Red Devils were looking to bolster their midfield options, after Ander Herrera joined PSG in the summer on a free transfer. However, they focussed more on defensive signings rather than the midfield and signed Aaron Wan Bissaka and Harry Maguire instead. This decision may come back to haunt them.
Many fans have been astonished by the fact that Fernandes has not moved to one of Europe’s top clubs and Ronaldo seems to share the same opinion.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to the Portuguese television channel TVI about the future of Portugal’s national team, Ronaldo said:
"In the national team you have Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, who nobody knows why he doesn’t leave."
"In the national team, you have a lot of talent, so I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Possibly this new generation will be the best at the talent level, but that’s not enough."
"The atmosphere in the national team is spectacular. The last few years have been the most enjoyable, both because they want to learn and because there is this."
"The most responsible for this is Fernando Santos and the president of the FPF.’"
What's next?
Although there are some rumours flying around that Real Madrid are considering a move for Bruno Fernandes, it seems that he will remain at Sporting for another season. Sporting's next match is against Portimonense in the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo will be looking to kick off the Serie A season with Juventus in a match against Parma tomorrow.
