VIDEO: Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes labelled 'one of the most unlikeable players on earth' for brutal foul on Everton's Iliman Ndiaye that sparked ugly clash in pre-season friendly

Fernandes lunged in from behind on Ndiaye near the halfway line in the lead-up to Everton’s equaliser, sparking a heated exchange between the two. Ndiaye immediately confronted the Portuguese midfielder, and team-mates rushed in to separate the pair as tempers flared. Both players were shown yellow cards as tensions boiled over on the pitch. Fans reacted critically on social media towards the Red Devils captain's cynical kickout.

@_luke1878_ wrote on X: "Bruno Fernandes has to be one of the most unlikeable players on earth."

@The92Bible added: "Bruno Fernandes intentionally trying to injure Iliman Ndiaye in a pre-season friendly is exactly why he isn’t rated as much as he should be. Great player but terrible sportsman."

Man City fan @TheCityRamble added: "Bruno Fernandes just casually booting out at an opponent during a pre-season friendly."

Everton fan @ClarkeJoel22 wrote: "Bruno Fernandes is one of the biggest kn*bheads in football."

@Lea_EFC concluded: "BRUNO FERNANDES YOU F*CKING SH*THOUSE."

The incident proved costly for United, who conceded a bizarre own goal moments after the scuffle. It overshadowed a solid display from Fernandes, who had scored earlier in the match to give the Red Devils the lead. United still managed to claim the Premier League Summer Series title following previous wins over Bournemouth and West Ham.

Ruben Amorim's Red Devils return to action this weekend against Fiorentina at Old Trafford. They will then kick off their Premier League campaign at home to Arsenal the following Sunday. Fernandes’ actions may draw further scrutiny in the build-up to those fixtures.