Man Utd clear on Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes penalty situation
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that his Manchester United players have no disagreements over who will take the penalty kicks since he makes the final decision.
With Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, there has been speculation that Bruno Fernandes may relinquish his spot-kick duties to allow the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to take them ahead of him.
But Fernandes has a strong track record from 12 yards, where he has a near-perfect record for United with to his unique hop technique.
Previously, the midfielder has let Marcus Rashford take his place, and he will most likely do so again if Ronaldo has a chance to make his second debut with a goal against Newcastle on Saturday.
When it comes to penalties, fights between teammates have become increasingly regular in the Premier League, but Solskjaer insists there will be none between his own players.
When asked if Ronaldo will take the lead on penalties over Fernandes in the future, United manager Jose Mourinho said: “That question was certain to come up. I’ve also had a conversation with the two of them.
“We have two players there who I would trust with my life to take a penalty kick, which is a fantastic position to be in.
“They’ll figure out how we’re going to address this from the conversations we’ve had and the conversations we’ll have before the games. It will be up to me to decide what will happen. When they’re asked to take the penalty, the two of them will continue to do what they’ve always done.”
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Rashford is presently out until at least next month due to injury, but it appears the forward is still on Solskjaer’s radar.
“I’ve got Cristiano, Bruno, Marcus [Rashford], players I trust to score every time they stand up to take a penalty,” he continued. This is something I’ve discussed with them, and they are aware of my viewpoint. They are aware that I choose who will take the penalty shot if we are awarded one.
“I’ve got Cristiano, Bruno, Marcus [Rashford], players I trust to score every time they stand up to take a penalty,” he continued. This is something I’ve discussed with them, and they are aware of my viewpoint. They are aware that I choose who will take the penalty shot if we are awarded one.
“That’s not going to be a problem.” We’re all in this together to win. It’s not about the numbers, either mine or yours. It’s about us as a team, and I’ll make the decision.”
While Fernandes is now United’s penalty taker, his recent statements show he wouldn’t mind giving up his penalty duties as long as he kept his role on set pieces beyond the box.
“He [Ronaldo] takes 100% of the penalties. They agree to give him the penalties, but I believe Bruno is just wiping the ball and laying it down on free kicks around the box.
“Bruno, I believe, sees the wider picture and believes that this guy can get us over the finish line and win us trophies.
“If that means my goal involvement rate drops but he puts his hands on a major trophy, he’ll take that any day.”