20 November 2023 , 18:02
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Bruno Fernandes revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 'sent him a hug' through Iceland head coach, Age Hareide, following Portugal's 2-0 win in Lisbon on Sunday night.
The Manchester United captain, 29, continued his fine recent form by notching Portugal's first goal of the match against Hareide's side. A second-half strike from Ricardo Horta sealed the win for Roberto Martinez and co, who have now won all 10 of their Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Fernandes was in the media spotlight following the victory over Iceland - and he revealed that he had been given a message from his former Old Trafford boss by Hareide after the match.
"The Icelandic coach says he spoke to Solskjaer who had sent me a hug," Fernandes told Portuguese outlet Record. He then went on to give a glowing endorsement of Martinez, who took charge of the national team back in January.
The appointment of the former Everton and Belgium head coach raised eyebrows at the start of the year but Martinez has made a big impact since stepping into the shoes of Fernando Santos, who spent over eight years at the helm.
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"There are new ideas, a different idea of the game from coach Fernando Santos," Fernandes added when he was asked about Martinez. "It's working and we're happy. We have to look forward.
"It wasn't all bad with Fernando Santos, it's not all perfect now. We want that perfection, which we know doesn't exist, but we want to be as close to it as possible."
Join the debate! How impressed have you been with Fernandes this season? Let us know here.
Fernandes was a key player for Solskjaer during his Manchester United tenure (Getty Images)Fernandes has been one of the new Manchester United players to emerge from a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign with any credit. The midfield maestro has racked up more goal contributions (seven) than any other player and only Rasmus Hojlund (five) can better Fernandes' tally of four goals so far.
The misery Fernandes has endured amid United's sorry start to the season is a far cry to the imperious form of his country and he was quick to commend the professionalism of his teammates, who knew qualification for next summer's European Championships was already in the bag.
He added: "We were very professional and intelligent in reading the moments of the game, doing everything well and with professionalism if we let ourselves be carried away by the fact that we were winning or already qualified. Everyone's professionalism was important, that everyone wanted to make their contribution and that we realized that we are all important."