Bruno Fernandes has backed his Manchester United and Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to rediscover his goalscoring form after a disappointing start to the season.
Both Ronaldo and Fernandes played the full 90 minutes as Portugal fell to a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the Nations League on Tuesday night, with defender Diogo Dalot being forced to settle for a place among the substitutes.
Former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata scored the winner for Luis Enrique's side in the 88th minute, with La Roja moving ahead of Portugal to qualify for the Nations League finals as group winners.
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Ronaldo had a number of chances to score during Tuesday night's encounter but was denied on three occasions by Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon.
The 37-year-old scored his first goal of the season for Erik ten Hag's side against Sheriff in the Europa League earlier this month, but the striker has been used as an impact substitute by the Dutch coach for the majority of the campaign.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has made eight appearances for United this season but has only started on three occasions - including just once in the Premier League. However, Fernandes has backed Ronaldo to rediscover his goalscoring touch after a difficult start to the new season for club and country.
Speaking to Diario Record, the Reds midfielder said: "It wasn’t just Cristiano who failed. We all tried and we couldn’t. The Spain goalkeeper did very well. Cristiano is fine, with the ambition to help the national team, as he always has been and there is no need to make great stories.
"Cristiano was frustrated, just like the rest of us. He wants to score goals and the goals are going to come along. These are phases. When you score you will have more peace of mind to continue scoring many goals for us. Don’t forget you’re the goalscoring record holder for the team."
Ronaldo, who started both of Portugal’s Nations League matches this month, will be hoping to start for United against Manchester City in the derby on Sunday, but his inclusion is likely to depend on the fitness of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
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