Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes re-ignite their lethal partnership

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Manchester United have struggled to score enough goals this season. So it is important for Erik ten Hag to find attacking solutions.

He needs to get more out of his starting striker, and from Bruno Fernandes, the main attacking midfielder.

The connection with Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo just hasn’t been there. It is now more than 12 months since Fernandes provided an assist for Ronaldo, away at Atalanta last season.

Last night he had Anthony Martial in front of him, with the Frenchman returning from injury. There was an immediate difference.

Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes re-ignite their lethal partnership

Anthony Martial scored Manchester United’s opening goal in the 4-2 win, his third goal of the season.

Unsurprisingly it was Bruno Fernandes who provided the assist, playing in a simple pass to find Martial in space for a tap-in.

This was just Fernandes’ second assist of the season. He knew exactly where Martial would be, and instinctively played in the pass.

United need more of this, and we have seen them do it before. Martial and Fernandes struck up an instant connection when the Portuguese star first signed for the club.

Pre and post lockdown, Fernandes and Martial linked up so well together. If they can reconnect, then this would be a really positive development for Erik ten Hag.

There were positive signs of this in pre-season, before Martial’s injury struck. Now just as they manage to pair up again, an enforced World Cup break is upon us.

Martial and Fernandes need each other, and the fact it took less than an hour playing together to combine for a goal, says a lot about their connection. Now United just need them to get a real run together in 2023.