Bruno Fernandes has played down suggestions that he has fallen out with Cristiano Ronaldo after the attacker's explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
The full discussion has now been aired, with Ronaldo launching an extraordinary attack on Manchester United, Erik ten Hag and his team-mates. So far, few United players have commented publicly, amid reports that most want Ronaldo to be moved on.
There were suggestions that Fernandes was unhappy with his national team's captain though as footage emerged of a frosty meeting between the duo in the Portugal dressing room earlier this week. Fernandes though has insisted he has not seen the interview and his full focus is on the World Cup.
"I didn't read the interview so I am ok with that. As I've said before, now is the national team, it's Portugal. I said to him, the coach made a point that it's us. He made the point since I came to the national team in 2017," he told Sky Sports.
"That is still clear in his mind, the main thing here is national team and us so we have to be focused on the World Cup because a World Cup doesn't come every time, you don't have a chance to play in a World Cup many times.
"Cristiano has been lucky to play, did really well to play five times. This will be his fifth time in the World Cup. So everyone is ready for that, everyone wants to give the best for the team."
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The midfielder was then asked: "It's been suggested you gave him a bit of a cold shoulder in the dressing room on Monday." Fernandes replied with confusion as he said: "Why you say that?"
The reporter then pointed to the video footage of the meeting, though there was no sound attached to it. Fernandes played down the importance of the meeting after that had been explained, insisting it had merely been a joke played by Ronaldo.
"They put the sound after, did you hear with the sound? You have to do it. Because what happened it's like in Portugal we have the problem that I was watching one of the channels that was talking about it," he said.
"They said it was cold, it was bad, for 45 minutes, all of a sudden they go on a break, national team send with the sound, the sound says he is joking with me and so they come back and they said 'there was a joke' and they cut there.
"And they said if you want to see again, just go back. But if they go back they will it was a problem, but if they tell the really true, if they explain what was in that video, people will know.
"But now people don't know, so as I said, this is national team, Manchester United will be my focus after the World Cup after 18 December, because there is the final. I have no problem with anyone, I do my job.
"One time a manager said to me 'everything you can control is yourself'. I think everyone thinks the same way. You have to control yourself, give your best and that's it."
