Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Bruno Fernandes spent over half an hour practicing set pieces before their FA clash with rivals Liverpool.
Fernandes curled home a wonderful free-kick winner beyond Alisson from the edge of the penalty area in the 78th minute to send United through after a thrilling contest at Old Trafford.
So far, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder has recorded a total of 26 goal contributions in 29 games in all competitions.
“He’s got that quality in and around the box,” said Solskjaer. “He’s proven to give players assists or score goals.
“Today was a very good free-kick. He managed to practice a lot yesterday because wherever he starts, I tell him to go straight in. He can’t do extra free-kicks.
“Yesterday he was told that he wasn’t playing so he stayed out practicing for half an hour, 45 minutes. I don’t know how long but it worked and it paid off.”
After slotting in what could be termed as a match decider, the £47m summer signing has revealed that hard work is the secret to his success, citing that his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sometimes dragged him from the field.
“Almost every day [I practice free-kicks], sometimes he [Solskjaer] has to kick me out of training to stop,” Fernandes told MUTV.
“I’m always working on that kind of situation, I like to watch and learn from Juan [Mata]. He’s a really good specialist and me and Juan stay out a lot, also Rashy, Alex [Telles], Fred, although I think it’s just for fun with Fred.
“Normally long distance is more for Rashy, for me the distance closer to the box is better for me and the kind of shot I have, if Juan or Alex are on the pitch it’s a chance for them on the right side.”
It was the Norwegian’s first win against Liverpool as United manager, and he was sure impressed with his team’s performance on the night.
“It’s fantastic to win games against last year’s champions,” he said. “They’re a fantastic team.
“We’ve had good results over the last couple of years. Played different systems but this time we play on our terms as well.
“We’ve found a way we believe in, the players believe in and we’re getting stronger and stronger.
“(The) mentality to come back (from) 1-0 down, we’ve shown that so many times this season, and I feel physically as well we’re stronger and stronger and last the games much more.
“We look at the difference from a year or ago, or six months back, so you can’t take too many big strides at one point. But we’re gradually, layer by layer, getting better, winning tight games, so the morale and confidence is very good.”
