Gary Lineker has explained why Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes caught his eye for the right reasons, regardless of how things turned out against Newcastle.
The 31-year-old made his mark on Wednesday night, setting up Casemiro’s first-half equaliser with a well-placed delivery into the box.
The Portugal international delivered a sharp free-kick from the right side, and Casemiro rose to meet it with a strong header, drawing Manchester United level after Anthony Gordon’s early strike for Newcastle.
Despite his contribution just before the break, Fernandes couldn’t prevent United from falling to a 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park.
Why Gary Lineker singled out Bruno Fernandes over others from Man United’s loss to Newcastle
Bruno Fernandes played the full match as Manchester United lost to Newcastle, handing Michael Carrick his first defeat since taking over as interim manager.
In Carrick’s eight-game spell in charge, Fernandes has chipped in with six assists and two goals, showing just how influential he’s been under the new boss.
Gary Lineker discussed the performance on The Rest Is Football podcast, telling Alan Shearer and Micah Richards that Fernandes was clearly United’s standout creative force against Newcastle.
After watching Manchester United fall short at St James’ Park, Shearer didn’t hold back: “Man United, I thought, were really, really poor.”
Lineker responded by highlighting Fernandes again: “With the exception, I would say, of Bruno Fernandes again.
“I thought he was incredibly creative. I mean, he made so many chances for them,” continued Lineker. “That little free-kick that he took before they scored their goal when he rolled it into the box and [Cristiano] Ronaldo hit it with his left foot.”
Gary Lineker highlights Bruno Fernandes’ numbers after the Man Utd captain’s Premier League spell at Old Trafford
Since joining Manchester United, Fernandes has racked up 69 goals and provided 65 assists over 221 Premier League matches, a remarkable return for the Portuguese midfielder.
Lineker pointed to Fernandes’ impressive creative output this season, noting how far ahead he is of the competition in that regard.
“He’s now created 92 chances in the Premier League this season, 36 more than any other player,” he added.
This season, Fernandes has scored seven times and assisted 15 goals across all competitions.
Manchester United are next in action on March 15th when they host fourth-placed Aston Villa at Old Trafford, with kickoff scheduled for 2pm UK time.
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