Bruno Fernandes fitness problem revealed with star facing struggle to play Atletico
Manchester United ace Bruno Fernandes has Covid according to interim manager Ralf Rangnick and is a doubt for the Champions League clash against Atletico.
The attacking midfielder was absent for United’s 3-2 win over Tottenham at the weekend. His Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines, grabbing an impressive hat-trick to give the Red Devils all the spoils.
Before the match, Rangnick revealed Fernandes had come down with ‘illness’, but did not specify the issue further.
Fernandes has tested positive for Covid and is now facing a race against time to play Atletico on Tuesday night.
“I don’t know,” Rangnick said of the 27-year-old’s availability (via Manchester Evening News). “Luke [Shaw] hopefully will be back in training tomorrow [Monday] and Bruno we will have to wait and see until Tuesday. This will probably be a last-minute race with him.
“We have to be careful with Covid tests. David [de Gea] was the same. David yesterday was out, he was not supposed to play but then it turned out that his first fast test was false.
Bruno Fernandes could follow David de Gea
“He took another one or two quick tests then a PCR test and that was negative. I only decided this morning that he was going to play.”
The Champions League round of 16 tie is all square following the 1-1 draw in Madrid last month. Joao Felix gave Atletico an early lead, before Anthony Elanga struck a vital goal for the Red Devils in the 80th minute.
Rangnick also gave an injury update on influential midfielder Scott McTominay. “With Scotty, I hope [he’s available] but he had some muscular problems with his calf.
“That’s why we decided not to play him [vs Spurs], because Scotty is quite like Fred, he is only valuable if he can perform with 100% of his physical capacity.”
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Alan Shearer talks Ronaldo impact
Meanwhile, Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has hailed United striker Ronaldo following his devastating performance on Saturday.
“There are some people who think Cristiano Ronaldo is a problem for Manchester United, but god knows where they would be without him,” Shearer wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“I said a few weeks ago that, if it wasn’t for Ronaldo, United would be far worse off than they are. And Saturday’s game against Tottenham summed up why in a nutshell.
“He was quite simply the only reason they beat Spurs. His hat-trick was phenomenal and his overall performance was so good, it was staggering.
“It was no surprise to me because he has been doing this for years and years now. He has 59 hat-tricks, which is just ridiculous – but this was some response to his critics. All three of his goals were special in their own way.”
READ MORE: Pundit slams out-of-form Man Utd star who has no excuses for ignoring ‘such a simple’ solution
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