(Credit: Rio Ferdinand presents on Youtube/Imago)

Aasif Rahman

Fri 14 March 2025 20:43, UK

Rio Ferdinand directed a message to Bruno Fernandes after his brilliant hat-trick against Real Sociedad in their Europa League round of 16 tie.

Man United secured their spot in the Europa League quarter-finals after an emphatic 4-1 victory at Old Trafford on 13 March.

Fernandes had another outstanding performance as he netted a hat-trick, while Diogo Dalot also got on the scoresheet with a well-taken goal.

The match got off to a lively start, as both Real Sociedad and Man United were awarded penalties in the opening 20 minutes, and were both converted.

United were then granted another penalty, which Fernandes calmly scored but former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett exclusively told Football Insider that Patrick Dorgu went down easily to win the second penalty, sparking some controversy.

While Alejandro Garnacho also took the opportunity to message Fernandes following the victory, club legend Ferdinand was quick to join in with his own comments for the midfielder’s performance.

Rio Ferdinand hails Bruno Fernandes’ stunning performance after Europa League win

Ferdinand joined the growing list of those praising the Portugal international after his exceptional performance in United’s victory.

The club legend posted a picture of himself alongside the club captain captioning it: “Bruno is our problem they keep telling us… Bruno Fernandes aka captain!” as Fernandes showed his appreciation by liking the post, as did teammates Leny Yoro and Dalot.

The 30-year-old midfielder has been in outstanding form this season, making 43 appearances, scoring 15 goals, and providing 13 assists across 3,718 minutes.

Following his hat-trick, he also became the player with the most combined goals and assists in Europa League history, with a total of 24 goals and 17 assists.

Man United face uncertain future with Bruno Fernandes amid exit rumours

Despite Fernandes’ immense importance to the team, Mick Brown, former Manchester United chief scout who spent more than a decade at Old Trafford, exclusively told Football Insider that Man United are doing everything they can to ensure Fernandes stays beyond the end of the season.

With United currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and their only hope for silverware lying in the Europa League, there has been speculation about Fernandes potentially leaving.

However, despite the growing rumours, it is clear that the captain remains fully focused on helping the team salvage something from what has been a disappointing season.