CRISTIANO RONALDO may take Manchester United’s next penalty after Bruno Fernandes’ miss against Aston Villa.
Fernandes got the chance to salvage a point for United during stoppage time at Old Trafford shortly after Kortney Hause’s goal.
But the attacking midfielder sent the ball over Emiliano Martinez’s crossbar and all the way up to Stretford End in a highly uncharacteristic miss.
This raises a question as to whether the Portugal international will get another shot from 12 yards following his howler against Villa.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously suggested that penalty duties will be shared between Fernandes and Ronaldo.
That could mean the five-time Ballon d’Or winner may be the next one to step up for a spot-kick.
Solskjaer said earlier this month: “I’ve had a chat with the two of them. We’ve got two players there that I’d trust with my life to put a penalty away and that’s a great position to be in.
“They’ll know via the conversations we’ve had and the conversations we’ll have before the games how we’re going to solve this. It’s going to be my decision what’ll happen.
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“The two of them will keep on doing what they do when they’re asked to take the penalties.
“I’ve got Cristiano, Bruno, Marcus [Rashford], I’ve got players I trust to score every time they step up to take a penalty.
“I’ve had this conversation and they know my position on it. They know that I decide who is going to shoot the penalty if we get one.
“That’s not going to cause an issue. We’re here to win together. It’s not about my numbers or your numbers. It’s about us as a team and the decision is going to be mine.”
Solskjaer doesn’t appear set to completely write Fernandes off as a designated penalty taker.
The Norwegian manager suggested that the 27-year-old will get another shot down the line.
Solskjaer said after the match: “Bruno is normally very good in those positions and unfortunately he just missed this one.
“No, it doesn’t get to Bruno’s head. He’s strong mentally and he’ll step forward again.”
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