Premier League: Solskjaer Supports Manchester United's $94M Star, Says 'Would Back Him With Mortgage'

Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed Bruno Fernandes after the missed penalty, saying the Portuguese midfielder is such an excellent penalty taker that he would "back him" with his "mortgage."

The Red Devils were trailing 0-1 at home against Aston Villa in the Premier League last weekend when they earned an extra-time penalty. However, Fernandes missed it, leading to Manchester United's third competitive loss of the season. Their previous two defeats came in the Champions League against Swiss club Young Boys and in the League Cup against West Ham in the third round.

However, Solskjaer has insisted that the missed penalty has not changed his confidence in Fernandes, who has converted so many penalties for the Red Devils since his $94 million arrival at Old Trafford in January 2020.

"That's football. He'll step forward every day of the week for the club and the team. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. That is part and parcel of it. It is such a fine line between heaven and hell and unfortunately today he missed it. But you know Bruno has been excellent. He is such a good penalty taker and today you'd back him with your mortgage, I would guess," Solskjaer said in a press conference after his side's 1-0 loss on Saturday.

Solskjaer went on to point out that after his side received the penalty, Aston Villa players crowded the referee.

"What I didn't enjoy and didn't like was the way they crowded the referee around the penalty spot and tried to affect Bruno. It clearly worked for them but that's not great to see but they achieved what they needed to," the Norwegian boss added.

The current Manchester United side has enough penalty-takers, including five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the post-match conference, Solksjaer was asked if there was a possibility that Ronaldo could have taken the crucial spot-kick instead of his compatriot, Fernandes.

Solskjaer replied, "As I said, Bruno has been excellent and Cristiano is probably the one that has scored the most penalties in England before. We have got great takers here but it is just a missed opportunity for us to get a point."

The 27-year-old has so far netted 44 goals and provided 26 assists in a total of 88 appearances for the Red Devils, across competitions. Out of Fernandes' 44 goals, 21 have come from penalties.

With 13 points, Manchester United are currently placed fourth in the 2021-22 Premier League table. Their next league fixture is a home game against Merseyside club Everton on Saturday.