The sight of Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo sprinting off to celebrate with their arms wrapped around each other was one Manchester United fans expected to see a lot of this season.
But when the United teammates raced towards the corner flag of the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night after combing to set Portugal on their way to the World Cup, it felt oddly unfamiliar. Fernandes has created three of Ronaldo's 18 goals for United this season, although the last time it happened was on November 2 when United drew against Atalanta in the Champions League.
None of Fernandes' nine goals for United have been assisted by Ronaldo, so seeing the 37-year-old tee up his international teammate in Porto was an unusual sight. They combined well for much of the evening, however, and in an attacking 4-3-3 system that gives hope that United could yet reprise a similar approach to get the most of a partnership that should, in theory, flourish at club level as well.
