Bruno Fernandes has admitted he has fallen well short of expectations with Manchester United this season, confessing he is relishing the chance to switch his attention to the Portugal national team for the next few weeks.
The United captain has not scored a goal for his club since April and has faced significant criticism from a number of supporters for his role in United’s record-breakingly poor start to the 2024/25 campaign.
To make matters worse, Fernandes was shown red cards in back-to-back games before the international break, the first of which was rescinded following a club appeal.
“It’s about improving as soon as I get there [Manchester],” Fernandes told a press conference. “Making the goals appear again because I’m a midfielder that scores a lot of goals and has over the years always shown a very high level of goals.
“I have to live up to those expectations and to my standards. What I’ve been doing is not at all what I want for this season because I haven’t scored at the club yet.
“I hope that once I get there, I can score and help my club get back to winning ways and be at a good level.”
The chance to refresh his thoughts away from United for the October international break is one Fernandes is looking forward to grasping with open arms.
“It’s not a positive moment,” he continued. “We’re not winning games and the national team space is completely different.
“I’ve felt very at ease, the dynamics are very good. I’m in my country, I speak my language and I have better food. I have demonstrated a good level in the national team.
“It’s a space where I feel good and I feel like I can enjoy my football at a very high level, due to the dynamics we have and the quality I have at my side.”
