Bruno Fernandes has defended Cristiano Ronaldo following Juventus' Champions League exit and taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the Italian side.
The former Manchester United star has come in for his share of blame after the Italian champions’ last 16 exit against Porto on Tuesday.
Despite playing against 10 men for over an hour, the Bianconeri were dumped out of the competition on the away goals rule.
Ronaldo was involved in the ties’ decisive moment - albeit not how he would have wished.
In the second half of extra-time at the Allianz Stadium, a long-range Sergio Oliveira free kick beat Wojciech Szczesny down low, just inside his right-hand post.
That freekick went through the legs of Ronaldo - who, along with Adrien Rabiot, had turned his back on the effort - en route to goal, with Fabio Capello declaring his decision “unforgivable” and chastising both men for appearing “afraid of the ball.”
Ronaldo moved to Turin tasked with taking a side who had reached two finals in four seasons to glory in 2018.
But Since joining in an eye-watering £88million transfer - with a long-term contract worth up to £250million - Juve have failed at the quarter-final stage and twice in the first knockout round.
Now, speaking to La Gazetta dello Sport ahead of United's Europa League meeting with AC Milan, Fernandes leapt to the defence of his international teammate - insisting the loss was about much more than just the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“Ronaldo? Cristiano is one of the greats in the history of football,” said Fernandes. “His mentality inspires those who practice this sport.
"He has won a lot, but no one can win alone.
"I understand that his presence in Juve had created enormous expectations for the Champions League, but when a team loses, they lose as an entire squad, not a single player.”
United’s top scorer also insisted that the success of Sergio Conceicao’s side also shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
"I’m not surprised - Porto has a winning mentality, plays aggressive football and I expected them to create problems for Juventus,” he added.
Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip
