Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has admitted that it will be “really difficult” to face Everton this weekend, following their points deduction in the Premier League.
The midfielder concluded a qualifying campaign with Portugal flawlessly, by winning 10 out of 10 games. After the 2-0 win against Iceland, he spoke to FourFourTwo about his country’s historical achievement and looked ahead to the upcoming games with Manchester United.
Portugal finished top of its group with a goal difference of 36-2, with the current team possessing a great mix of talent and experience. Fernandes, who scored six and provided eight in the qualification campaign, is very happy with his team’s recent performances.
- 'I sat with the club because I had an offer to leave. I asked if they see me as part of the future of the club, and they made it very clear that I would be a big part of this rebuild': Manchester United star reveals transfer discussions
- 'I have had enough of that rubbish. I see these boys and I think you're f*cking imposters. Forget the board for a second, who do you start pointing fingers at?' Roy Keane goes on explosive rant over Bruno Fernandes, as Ian Wright challenges him
“We knew that we wanted to do something special, because we knew that we could do 10 out of 10,” he told FFT. “So, it was in our minds. It’s an amazing feeling obviously, as we are part of the history of Portugal now, but we want to make more history in the future.”
The attacking midfielder says the team is looking ahead to the Euros with belief among themselves, regardless of the good recent results. “Even if it wasn’t a perfect qualification, we would obviously be really confident to go to the Euros and put ourselves in a position to get as far as possible.”
At club level, Fernandes is also confident that United can continue their form in the Premier League, in which they won their last two games. Yet, he says that the upcoming game at Everton is not easy and will be extra challenging after the news of the Toffees being deducted points for financial breaches.
“We have to focus game by game, now we have an away game against Everton and it’s really difficult to play there,” Fernandes says. “They just lost 10 points, so we know that they need points, they are going to fight for their points, so we just have to find the focus to go to Everton and win the game, because we know that in the Premier League, these kinds of games are always tough.”
“Obviously, [Galatasaray] after that is a massive game, we know the position we are in the Champions League, what we need to do. So, it’s good to focus on game by game, because we can’t think too much ahead.”
United will hope Fernandes will bring some of his country’s steadiness to the club. If they win their next two games, the Red Devils will be right there in the mix both domestically and in Europe.
More Manchester United stories
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de gea has been tipped to link up with David Beckham and Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
Manchester United are reportedly set to receive fresh investment, although not from prospective buyer Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Red Devils have had some wonderful players over the years – and here is a look at the club's best-ever signings.
