Gary Neville cites possible reason why Bruno Fernandes missed Man Utd penalty vs Fulham

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes squandered a brilliant  opportunity to put his side ahead during the first-half of their away clash with Fulham on Sunday. 

United were awarded a penalty after Calvin Bassey grappled Mason Mount to the ground at a set-piece. 

Fernandes stepped up to take the spot kick, but missed the target by blazing his effort over the bar. 

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has a theory for why the Portugal international missed his penalty against the Cottagers. 

Neville told Sky Sports: “He picked the ball up, then he bundles into referee a bit. He gave him a bit of a bump by accident, and he goes back. It just unnerved him a little bit.

“I thought it was because the referee was adjusting the players on the edge of the box, but he’s still having a go, Bruno Fernandes, at the referee, because he feels that was a little bit clumsy.”

Manchester United lost 1-0 to Arsenal in their Premier League opener, but their overall display was promising as they dominated ball possession and created several scoring chances.  

The same thing cannot be said about their performance in Sunday’s draw with Fulham. 

Fernandes was the biggest culprit for United as he missed the first-half penalty. But it was a collective failure, and most of their players produced disappointing performances at Craven Cottage. 

The Red Devils’ defence was shaky and they could not create clear-cut scoring opportunities. 

Man Utd are aiming to make a big comeback in 2025-26 after finishing 15th for the first time in the Premier League era last season. 

But their performances so far are unlikely to give a lot of encouragement to the supporters. 

United have had an impressive summer transfer window, as they added Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to the squad. 

But they are still looking to sign a top midfielder before the September 1 transfer deadline. 

Amorim’s side wanted Brighton & Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba but the financial costs for a deal means a move is unlikely to materialise.