Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto, key players for Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively, have exited Portugal’s national team camp prematurely following their emphatic 5-1 victory over Poland in the Nations League.
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Both players found the back of the net during the game, with Cristiano Ronaldo also setting a record-breaking milestone of 132 international wins, surpassing Sergio Ramos.
The departures, which include Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva, are not injury-related. Portugal manager Roberto Martinez confirmed the decision, citing the team’s secured top spot in their Nations League group and subsequent qualification for the quarter-finals in March.
This allowed Martinez to prioritize experimenting with new players in the upcoming fixture against Croatia on Monday.
Martinez elaborated, “It’s crucial to be competitive while evaluating our squad depth. With players like Bruno Fernandes suspended for the next match, this is an opportunity to bring in fresh faces like Fabio Silva and Geovany Quenda from the U-21 team.”
Fernandes’ return will be a boost for Manchester United’s new head coach Ruben Amorim, ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash against Ipswich Town on November 24. Meanwhile, Neto will look to continue his Premier League form as Chelsea prepare to face Leicester City on November 23.
Both clubs retain representation in the Portugal squad, with United’s Diogo Dalot and Chelsea-linked Joao Felix available for the Croatia match.
