Dishon Bernard delighted to return after ‘long battle with injury’

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Manchester United defender Dishon Bernard made his first appearance at any level since April in the team’s friendly this week.

The 22-year-old centre-back was a half-time substitute against Cadiz on Wednesday night.

Bernard was previously on loan at Hull City, where he made 28 appearances last season, but fell out of favour after a managerial change, playing just eight minutes over the final three months.

Just like Brandon Williams, the match against Cadiz was his comeback match, with the left-back also making his return.

Bernard had last featured for United in pre-season 2021, while his one and only competitive appearance was way back in 2019 against Astana.

Dishon Bernard delighted to return

Bernard posted on Instagram following his comeback, reflecting on his ‘long battle with injury’.

He expressed his happiness and looked forward to continuing to build up his fitness.

Bernard played well when he came on, taking responsibility and defending well inside the box, but undid his good work with an errant pass which led to Cadiz’s fourth.

But he should not dwell on that, mistakes can happen when a young player is making his first appearance in eight months. That is what friendly matches are for, to get the rust gone and develop sharpness all over again.

Getting a chance to play against a La Liga side was a big test for Bernard, who can also play at right-back.

A report from Tuttomercatoweb claimed in the summer that Serie A side Inter Milan were considering a move for Bernard as a player they could add to their development squad.

Injury prevented this interest from developing further. He is under contract at Manchester United until June 2024, signing a new deal before his loan to Hull City went through in 2021.

Bernard, who previously had a loan spell at Salford City, only has a long shot to make United’s first team, and needs a loan or permanent move in January.

Getting back on the pitch again was an important first step, and he will hope for another opportunity on Saturday against Real Betis.