Bruno Fernandes Breaks Silence on Portugal Manager's Sacking

• Bruno Fernandes spoke on Fernando Santos in glowing terms hours after the Portugal manager was sacked
• The Selecao exited the Qatar World Cup in the semi-finals thanks to a shock defeat to underdogs Morocco
• Fernandes has come of age under the guidance of Santos, and was crucial for Portugal in their run in Qatar

Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes paid tribute to Fernando Santos, who was sacked by Portugal after a shock World Cup exit.

Santos, 68, had a contract that ran through to 2024, but the Portuguese FA decided to end his stint early by mutual agreement.

He leaves the job having guided Portugal to their inaugural Euros triumph back in 2016 when they famously beat France in the final

Just hours after his departure, Fernandes openly spoke on his now former manager, and seemed to have no ill feelings towards him.

World Cup 2022: Ronaldo chooses winning World Cup with Portugal over scoring goals

Football

In fact, the midfielder shared an emotional tribute towards Santos, hailing him as “Portugal’s most successful manager ever”.

“Many thanks to mister Fernando Santos. Thank you for the opportunity to represent our country and for the trust in us the past few years,” His social media post read.

“As a Portuguese, thank you for putting Portugal at the top of Europe and returning confidence and belief to a ‘small’ country that it was possible to be among the ‘big ones’.

Santos’ last stint as Portugal boss was marred with controversy, especially after he made the bold decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for both knockout games against Switzerland and Morocco.

Ronaldo had started in all three group games, but had only managed a solitary goal which came from the penalty spot against Ghana.

Portugal FA reveals the truth about Ronaldo's alleged threats to quit World Cup

Football

The decision to bench Ronaldo came with intense fire on Fernando Santos , especially from the superstar’s family.

The 37-year old’s partner Georgina Rodriguez was among the most vocal on social media as she blamed Portugal’s exit on the decision to leave out Ronaldo.

Jose Mourinho snubs Portugal questions

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported on how Jose Mourinho snubbed questions linking him to the vacant Portugal job.

Reports from Italy have suggested Mourinho is a frontrunner for the job, and the former Chelsea and Manchester United tactician was typically bombarded with questions on the same.

Upon arrival in Faro with his Roma side, Mourinho and his wads walk quickly to avoid any daunting questions.

Mourinho is then seen picking up a microphone belonging to one of the journalists before making his way to the team bus with his players.