‘What’s incoming’ – Fernandes responds after Man United transfer speculation

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes put speculation surrounding his future aside on Tuesday evening by scoring twice in Portugal’s 4-2 win over Finland in Lisbon.

Portugal stepped up their preparations for the upcoming European Championship campaign with a relatively comfortable victory over Markku Kanerva’s side. It was the first of three friendlies Portugal are scheduled to play ahead of travelling to Germany.

Two goals to the good by half-time after contributions from Manchester City’s Ruben Dias and Diogo Jota of Liverpool, Fernandes got in on the act after 55 minutes, making it 3-0. He added his second and Portugal’s fourth with time running out after Finland had pulled two goals back via a Teemu Pukki brace.

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Fernandes, who has been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Al Nassr over the last few days, had stepped off the bench at half-time to replace Joao Palhinha. United colleague Diogo Dalot was also introduced as a half-time substitute.

After making his mark in the second half, the Portuguese ace reflected fondly on a successful night’s work for him and his teammates, posting a message on his Instagram page.

Fernandes said: “Good first test. Prep for what’s coming.”

Fernandes’ future is likely to make the headlines all summer. The Manchester Evening News understands that United will consider offers for all but four players this summer, with Andre Onana, Kobbie Mainoo Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund the only players definitely not up for sale. Now, the need to find money to inject back into the team coupled with the desire to trim the wage bill means that a substantial offer for Fernandes will be considered, according to the Guardian.

Fernandes’ agent Miguel Pinho has reportedly been in discussions with potential suitors across Europe. MEN Sport revealed last month that a number of United players doubt whether their captain will remain at the club.

For now, however, he appears focused on am. Portugal, who won the European Championship in 2016, will take on Croatia on home soil on Saturday before playing one final warm-up match next Tuesday, hosting the Republic of Ireland at the Estadio Municipal de Aveiro. They will then fly to Germany for the tournament, which starts on June 14.

Portugal will be overwhelming favourites to win their respective group, being placed in Group F alongside the Czech Republic, Georgia and Turkey. They face the Czechs in their tournament opener on Tuesday, June 18.