Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes makes trivela pass admission: 'I learned from Quaresma, the great professor!'

• Portuguese starred in cup clash with Forest
• Often using the outside of his boot
• Emulating iconic fellow countryman

WHAT HAPPENED? The Portugal international playmaker broke open his bag of tricks during the second leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest, as he illuminated Old Trafford with a couple of outlandish passes and crosses. One of those, which was played with the outside of his right boot, resulted in Fred bundling home United’s second goal of the night, with Fernandes eager to point out that he learned from one of the best in the business when it comes to using every part of his foot.

WHAT THEY SAID: Fernandes told Sky Sports of his penchant for the spectacular: “I learned from Quaresma so I had a great professor in Portugal so you have to learn with the players. You have to learn their tricks and use them. One in 20 is not bad! I'm really happy for the performance of the team and for the goals we had created.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Quaresma came close to joining United on a couple of occasions when at the peak of his powers, with deals explored during his days at Sporting and Porto, but it is Fernandes that is now leading a Portuguese charge at Old Trafford – with Cristiano Ronaldo released as a free agent in November 2022.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

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DID YOU KNOW? United have become just the second side to reach 10 English League Cup finals, after Liverpool (13).

WHAT NEXT? United are set to face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on February 26, having seen off Forest 5-0 on aggregate, with Fernandes adding on the need to secure major silverware: “Obviously it’s really good. For me it’s been three years in the cup, we reached one final [2021 Europa League] and didn’t win that one unfortunately. But now we have another chance. But before that are a lot of games coming, we have to be prepared for that.”