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Bruno Fernandes fired Portugal to the World Cup and combined brilliantly with Cristiano Ronaldo... now Man United urgently need the pair to put a season of sulking behind them, find the same chemistry and take charge of their top four push

Bruno Fernandes has never made such important contributions in a Portugal shirt.

That may come as a surprise given the enormous talent of the Manchester United star but it has just never really happened for him on the international stage.

For a long time when Fernandes played in Italian football, he was overlooked by coach Fernando Santos, unable to get himself opportunities in a national side hardly short on world-class ability.

Bruno Fernandes is all smiles after scoring Portugal's second goal against North Macedonia on Tuesday night to deliver them to the World Cup finals in Qatar
His Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo teed up Fernandes to score his first goal

It was only really after Portugal's Nations League triumph in 2019 that Fernandes got much of a look-in and became a regular starter.