The relationship between the Manchester United and Portugal team-mates did not look happy.
A video has emerged of Bruno Fernandes apparently giving his Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo a frosty reception as the Portugal squad met up for the World Cup on Monday.
The incident comes after Ronaldo gave an interview to Piers Morgan in which he criticised various figures at Manchester United. The club are considering tearing up his contract as a result.
The footage, released by the Portuguese FA, showed Fernandes arriving at what seems to be a training ground. He shakes hands and bumps fists with members of staff as he enters the building. The video then cuts to him entering the dressing room, where he touches Ronaldo on the arm as he makes his way to his seat without looking at his Manchester United team-mate.
Ronaldo appears to be taken aback and sticks out his hand for Fernandes to shake. Fernandes puts down his bag and briefly shakes Ronaldo’s hand. The look on Ronaldo’s face is, arguably, the highlight of the whole sequence.
Fernandes walks away but turns and says something in the direction of Portugal’s top scorer before greeting his other national team-mates who are on the other side of the dressing room. Fernandes shakes one team-mate’s hand and gives him a fist bump before hugging another member of the squad.
Ronaldo has been at the centre of a firestorm since Sunday night, when the first clips from his interview with Morgan surfaced.
In the interview, the forward said that he did not respect Manchester United manager Eric ten Hag “because he doesn’t show respect for me”. He also claimed that United tried to force him out and that he felt “betrayed”.
He added that he had “never heard of” ex-manager Ralf Rangnick and that there had been no progress at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson departed as manager in 2013.
He also lashed out at former team-mate Wayne Rooney, saying that the Englishman criticises him “probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level.”
