Cristiano Ronaldo got in Bruno Fernandes' way during Portugal's draw with DR Congo and it was a reminder of when things went wrong for Man Utd.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes shows his frustration after Cristiano Ronaldo took a shot off his toes
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Five years on, perhaps Roberto Martinez is no closer to fixing the problem that played a major role in derailing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time as Manchester United manager. How do you fit Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same team?
As Portugal stumbled through their opening World Cup game against DR Congo, attention again turned to Ronaldo's place in the team. The 41-year-old flopped when every other major forward has come to the party in North America.
Ronaldo was a passenger in a hugely disappointing Portuguese performance that raised questions over whether the striker can stay in the team and whether Roberto Martinez has the strength of personality to make the big decisions that might be required over the next four weeks.
There was one second-half incident when Portugal finally managed to carve out a decent chance, only for Ronaldo to get in the way of Fernandes, when the United captain was in the better position to get a shot away, and Thierry Henry was scathing after the game.
"One thing that's important, people, please at home: the team needs to score, not you need to score," said Henry. "So, obviously, we're going to see here Portugal being on the ball, Cancelo is going to receive the ball. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in this situation multiple times. If you make that run here, you - you make the defender take a decision to crash the six-yard box.
"But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes. If he goes into that six-yard box, you've been in that situation, I'll see - you would have had to follow him, follow him, and then he would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes. But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of the back pass. You see both players, and it's easier for you to defend."
Fernandes and Ronaldo have been able to co-exist for Portugal but the game changes in a major tournament once you have come through qualifying and there are plenty of times they end up occupying the same space on the pitch. There are almost two alpha males in that team when it can only carry one.
It's a conundrum United have dealt with before. Solskjaer took them to second in 2020/21 in a behind-closed-doors season and while that scenario might have helped the team, it is clear the deal to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford broke the team Solskjaer was building.
Ronaldo's static presence disrupted United's pressing and altered the dressing room dynamic. After finishing as runners-up in 20/21, Solskjaer was sacked in November of the following season.
The arrival of Ronaldo from Juventus also affected Fernandes, who had what was probably his worst season at the club in 2021/22, scoring just 10 goals in 46 games. Three of those came on the opening day of the season in a 5-1 win against Leeds, which came before Ronaldo joined.
Watching United that season, it felt like the two Portuguese players just didn't fit in the same Solskjaer team. It needed to be built around Fernandes, but that was never going to continue when Ronaldo joined.
The season before, Fernandes had scored 28 goals in 58 games, with Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani also contributing. It felt like an attack that worked well, but it fell apart.
Fernandes was forced to play down a frosty exchange with Ronaldo in the Portugal dressing room in November 2022, shortly after the latter's explosive interview with Piers Morgan that signalled the end of his second spell at Old Trafford.
We may never know Fernandes' true feelings about that ill-fated return. As a Portuguese player, it's never going to play well to criticise Ronaldo. But since he left, this has become Fernandes' team once again.
That didn't happen in time to rescue Solskjaer, and after Portugal's opening World Cup game, it might not happen in time to save Ronaldo either.