bruno fernandes

BRUNO FERNANDES has revealed one of the secrets behind his uncanny ability to find space on the pitch – he marks the ref.

The Manchester United playmaker says his playing style involves finding “dead zones” – which are often the areas occupied by the match official.

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Fernandes, 28, told fernandes-manchester-united-interview/?source=emp_shared_article&redirected=1″The Athletic: “I call these the ‘referee zone’ as nobody marks the referee.

“Sometimes, this is what the coaches say to players who play between the lines, or the wingers who want to come inside, or the striker when he wants to drop.

“Of course, sometimes the positions are different because it can be a counter-attack, for example.

“It also depends on the way an official referees the game. Mike Dean, for example, ran very centrally, which was probably for him better to see the game.

“But for us as a No 10, that cannot be our position, so you have to find out where you can go.”

The Portugal star also admitted a dismal opening-day 2-1 home defeat to Brighton reignited the feeling of disappointment they regularly felt at Old Trafford last season.

It was a campaign in which club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as manager during another trophyless campaign in which United laboured to a sixth-place Prem finish.

Fernandes said: “You could feel it between us, between the fans, in the atmosphere, that it was like getting back to the past.

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“Everyone felt the confidence was low again. Everyone was a little — not afraid — but not feeling the best to take the ball. I felt sometimes like it was the ghosts from