Bruno Fernandes sends brilliant message to Manchester United teammate, he agrees with Rio Ferdinand’s assessment

Bruno Fernandes scored Manchester United’s only goal during normal time in the dramatic penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the FA Cup on the weekend.

Manchester United displayed remarkable determination, resilience, and unity to secure an improbable victory against Arsenal, even after being reduced to 10 men.

The penalty shootout triumph will undoubtedly boost the squad’s confidence as they prepare to face Southampton in the Premier League this week.

United took the lead early in the second half at the Emirates Stadium with a stunning Bruno Fernandes goal, finishing off a classic counter-attack—a sight that has been rare in recent months.

It was after Diogo Dalot’s red card where Ruben Amorim’s side really showed progress mentally as well as physically, with 10 men running constantly for 120 minutes.

Toby Collyer came off the bench late in the game in his first game for the first-team since mid-September and really impressed.

The 20-year-old helped sweep up defensively and press the Arsenal players to ensure United were as solid as possible out of possession.

Fernandes sends message to Collyer

Fernandes was one of United’s best players in the game and never stopped running – a trait which Collyer also has and his training work has previously been compared to the captain.

The Portuguese midfielder made sure to offer praise for Collyer after the game on the weekend.

On his Instagram story, Fernandes posted an image of Collyer with the caption: “Really well deserved chance kid. Keep it going.”

This also followed praise for the Academy graduate from ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand.

The Premier League winner said: “Toby Collyer was excellent when he came on, the energy levels were huge, through the roof. Testament to him.”

Fernandes leadership on show vs Arsenal

Many people are often quick to point out when Fernandes is not leading well at United, often criticising his conduct with officials.

However, there is many more times where the midfielder shows exactly why he is captain of the club, both in his performances and actions away from the pitch.

His praise of Collyer and other players is one example of that, while he also almost always says the right things in interviews. It’s not just saying the right things, though, he also looks like he means what he says.

Read More: Manchester United exit will be ‘finalised imminently’ with Jason Wilcox influence clear

For many years people have criticised players for not caring, and it looks like Fernandes couldn’t care more than he does.

At the Emirates, the no.8 led by example on the pitch but also in a lot of other aspects which you want to see from your captain.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.