Date published: Friday 12th February 2021 9:39 – Lewis Oldham
Bruno Fernandes has admitted that he is not fully “living” his Manchester United dream with games currently played behind closed doors.
The midfielder joined Man United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020 for an initial fee of around £47m.
Fernandes hit the ground running straight away in the Premier League as he got eight goals and seven assists from his 14 Premier League appearances before the end of the campaign.
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The Portuguese international’s great form has continued into his first full season at Old Trafford. He currently has 18 goals and 12 assists from his 34 outings in all competitions.
The 26-year-old has been integral to Man United’s success this term. They currently sit second in the Premier League, but they are five points behind Man City.
Speaking to The Mirror, Fernandes suggested that he has found it hard playing without fans:
“As I’ve said before, coming to the Premier League and coming to play for Manchester United, the atmosphere of the game day, I’m not living that at all.
“I’m feeling the support of the fans on social media and when we can see them sometimes if I go to the supermarket and they say some words, because we can’t be closer than that.
It’s really good when you have that support and, of course, coming from the stands would be much better. When you score you want to celebrate.
“Some players when they score they don’t have that feeling to celebrate, because there’s nobody there and we have to make our own way to celebrate and make the atmosphere happy when we score as if the fans were there.
“One of the things the fans told me when we started to play behind closed doors is that when we score, you need to celebrate like we’re there with you. I’m trying to do that.
“Sometimes it’s difficult, because you’re not in the mood and maybe you don’t feel it, but I’m trying to do it like they’re there or if they’re at home then they’re feeling that I’m happy and I’m with them.”