Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes helped lead Portugal to victory over Denmark in their Nations League quarter-final clash on Sunday evening.
Bruno Fernandes and the Portugal squad lost their first-leg clash against Denmark earlier this week, with Manchester United forward Rasmus Højlund scoring the only goal of the game.
When the two teams faced each other for the second time on Sunday evening, it was a thrilling clash which went all the way to extra-time before the Euro 2016 winners took charge and finished the game off.
Fernandes was at the centre of everything for Portugal despite not registering a goal or assist. After playing the full 90 minutes on Thursday night, the United captain also completed 120 minutes on the weekend.
Portugal are set to face Germany in the Nations League semi-final, which is played after the 2024/25 campaign is complete.
Amorim has no concerns about Fernandes needing rest
It feels quite ridiculous that a mid-season international break will see players battling for 120 minutes in the midst of an extremely busy campaign, especially for Premier League players.
Funnily enough, that wasn’t even the first 120-minute game Fernandes played this month. He was on the pitch for every minute of United’s FA Cup defeat to Fulham at the beginning of March.
The United captain has played in all but two of United’s games this season. He was unavailable due to suspension for both of those clashes. He has started 43 times and came off the bench just once.
United fans have grown used to the incredible nature of Fernandes’ fitness levels, but it is simply ridiculous and somewhat concerning when you reflect on it.
Yet, Ruben Amorim made his opinion on the matter clear when asked whether the 30-year-old needed a rest just last week.
“No, I don’t feel that in Bruno [Fernandes]. He’s a special guy in that aspect. He’s always ready. He can recover quite well,” the United boss stated.
“I don’t know [about] the future. I am just reading what the performance department tell me [about the numbers] and then what I see in the game.
“So I always see a Bruno that is dangerous, and one Bruno that can recover in every situation. So he’s going to stay there.”
Can United continue relying on Fernandes like this?
It is impossible to tell how long Fernandes can keep this level of playing time up for before his body breaks down. Some people thought it would be a couple of years ago and he’s played pretty much every game since.
For both club and country, Fernandes is one of the most important players and you can’t really afford to rest him.
United probably need to be in a position sooner or later where they are not as reliant on the Portuguese playmaker so he does not have to run himself into the ground so often.
His durability is fascinating and sometimes unbelievable, but to see Fernandes stay at the top level for as long as possible, sometime will eventually need to change.
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