Cristiano Ronaldo remark motivated Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has revealed the words of encouragement from Cristiano Ronaldo which motivated him earlier in his career.

Fernandes has followed a similar career path to Ronaldo, joining the Red Devils from Sporting CP in January, albeit at a much older age.

Fernandes’ strong start with Man Utd: Five things to know…

• Fernandes was directly involved in 15 Liga NOS goals (scoring eight and assisting seven) this season prior to joining Man Utd.
• The midfielder has kept up his good form, scoring three and assisting four goals in nine appearances across all competitions.
• Fernandes’ form saw him with the Premier League Player of the Month award for February.
• He has revealed the words of encouragement given to him by Portugal teammate Ronaldo.
• Fernandes has scored two goals in 19 senior caps for Portugal so far.

The 25-year-old has made a fine start to life in England, notching three goals and four assists in nine appearances across all competitions and picking up the Premier League Player of the Month award for February.

And Fernandes — who is a teammate of Ronaldo’s at international level with Portugal — has revealed the encouragement he received from his iconic compatriot during his early days with the Seleção.

“He welcomed me very well to the Portugal national team,” he told Cronache Di Spogliatoio.

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“We look at him as an idol, he has always been an idol for me. I followed his example, he is one of my favourites.

“When I was called up by Portugal, he came to me saying, ‘You are doing a good job at Sporting, I like it’. Words like these make the difference.”

Old Trafford among football’s two most historic stadiums

Fernandes’ love affair with United appears only to be gathering pace and the 19-time Portugal international has given the club’s supporters a glowing reference, highlighting the noise they generate at Old Trafford — one of the two most historic stadiums in the world according to the midfielder.

“When I arrived for the medicals, everything impressed me,” he said. “At the training ground, you can find everything.

“At Old Trafford, you warm up with nobody in the stands, you hear nothing in the tunnel, and then you enter the pitch and you hear an incredible noise.

“If you talk about stadiums that everyone knows, the most historic are San Siro and Old Trafford.”