The 37-year-old icon missed the pre-season tour of Australia due to “personal reasons”. 3 Bruno Fernandes was full of praise for Anthony MartialCredit: AFP 3 His comments also appeared to be a swipe at absent teammate Cristiano RonaldoCredit: AP And that paved the way for Anthony Martial to seize his chance at a United revival. He scored and assisted in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday. Fernandes hailed the Frenchman for his work without the ball – suggesting that he, and therefore the team, is more effective compared to when Ronaldo plays. The 27-year-old playmaker said: “The three guys up front [Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Martial] they are really aggressive in the press. “When they push, they make the back line squeeze and it makes the midfield go a little bit higher.” And Red Devils fans on social media were full of praise for Martial, who now has three goals in three games One said: “Martial is on fire. Who needs Ronaldo?” Another joked: “Cristiano Ronaldo can leave now… Martial is back.” JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100 PLAYS AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (T&Cs Apply) And a third said: “I never thought I’d say this but I’d rather start the season with Martial than Ronaldo.” Ronaldo and Fernandes are friends both for United and at international level for Portugal. And while the pair clearly have a friendship and the comments were not directly aimed at Ronaldo, they could suggest rumblings of further discontent in the dressing room. Ronaldo’s future remains unclear. He looked on course to leave Old Trafford earlier in the summer, but new boss Erik ten Hag wants to keep hold of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. The former Real Madrid ace continues to train in Portugal alongside eldest child Cristiano Jr and friends Jose Semedo and Miguel Paixai. Ronaldo himself has revealed he will not be returning to Sporting as he insisted speculation of a return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade is “fake” news. 3 Martial scored his third goal in as many pre-season matches Credit: AFP
