BRUNO FERNANDES has revealed he was once blamed for getting Barcelona star Raphinha injured.
That’s by involving the Brazilian in a training drill at former club Sporting Lisbon.
The Manchester United star, 28, scored 64 goals in 137 games for his Portuguese club.
Fernandes went on to sign for the Red Devils in January 2020.
And he has since netted 64 times in 174 games at Old Trafford.
The midfielder’s astonishing record has seen him hailed as one of the most consistent performers around.
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Fernandes credits his brilliant fitness record with taking part in extra training drills during his time at Sporting.
But disaster struck one day when Raphinha joined in.
Now at Barcelona, the ex-Leeds ace spent two years at Sporting between 2018 and 2020.
His stats were less impressive than Fernandes’, with just nine goals in 41 games.
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And in a desperate attempt to boost his own fitness levels, Raphinha attempted to imitate the playmaker’s extra workouts after training had ended.
However, this led to the winger suffering an injury setback.
And Sporting’s club doctor jokingly laid the blame at Fernandes’ feet.
The United star said: “I was one of the first players in Portugal to play 56 games for the club in one season.
“At the end of training, I was always doing some extra shooting and the doctor was knocking at the window telling me to come inside.
“We had Raphinha at the time, and he stayed with me one time doing some shooting and got injured after two games.
“The doctor said to me: ‘This is your fault, you pushed him to stay with you and now he’s injured’.
“I can do it, I’m physically available to do it. I don’t know if I have any secrets.
“My mother and father will know. They made me in a way that I can be available for every game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
