Bruno fit and fresh ahead of new season
Great news for all Manchester United fans: our Portuguese magnifico Bruno Fernandes feels he is firing on all cylinders ahead of the new season.
The Reds’ 2021/22 Premier League campaign gets under way a week on Saturday, when we host Leeds at Old Trafford.
Bruno has been back training for a week after his Euro 2020 exploits and will surely be knocking on the door for a start in the final pre-season game against Everton at the weekend, after the Preston North End friendly was cancelled.
“Yes, I’m fresh and happy to be back, seeing my team-mates again, training again, it’s always a good thing,” Fernandes told club media in an exclusive interview.
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Our no.18 was able to reflect positively on his month-long holiday, which was very well deserved after a ridiculously busy 2020/21.
Fernandes played an astonishing 71 games between football’s restart on 19 June 2020 and Portugal’s exit to Belgium in Seville some 373 days later.
That schedule, condensed due to COVID-19, would be graft enough had it not followed on from two consecutive tournament summers with Portugal, for the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Nations League.
The midfielder was also involved with his nation’s Under-23 side at the last Olympics, meaning 2017 has been his only full summer off in recent years.
Still, Fernandes was able to rest and recharge his batteries during the month of July - and that can only be good for United going forward.
“It was nice, finally a long break after the season,” he added.
“It was a long time, I think five years maybe since my last full break. Honestly it was good to be with family and friends and enjoy time with my kids, because when we are playing, the time we spend at home is less than what we spend at the training ground!”
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While Bruno is yet to lace up his boots in a match this pre-season, the competition has already started between him and his team-mates.
Fernandes famously likes to win in all circumstances, including while playing his daughter at the card game Uno, and it’s been no different at the training camp in Scotland.
“It’s been good. I've won the [Uno] tournament two times so it’s been perfect! [Smiles]
“The lads are ready. We have been training hard, everyone is training really well and everyone will be ready for the beginning of the season.”