CRISTIANO RONALDO is in line to take Manchester United’s next penalty following Bruno Fernandes’ howler against Aston Villa – despite having a WORSE record.
United slipped to a 1-0 defeat following a late Kortney Hause goal at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could, and perhaps should, have snatched a late point.
Man Utd were awarded a penalty deep into added time, with Fernandes stepping up to take it – despite Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez ‘daring’ Ronaldo to take him on.
But the usually-reliable midfielder sent his spot-kick miles over the bar and into orbit, prompting a fierce backlash from fans.
Fernandes has since issued an apology to United supporters and received the full backing of Solskjaer.
Ronaldo will be licking his lips at the prospect of adding to his Man Utd goal tally by taking over the responsibility in future.
But United fans might not want to get too excited, with Ronaldo actually boasting a WORSE penalty record than Fernandes in recent seasons.
In league competition since the start of the 2017-18 season, Ronaldo has taken 31 penalties during spells at Real madrid, Juventus and now United.
Ronaldo has converted 26 of those, missing just five for a success rate of 83.9 per cent.
Interesting, he recently missed a penalty for Portugal during their 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland, with Fernandes also on the pitch at the time.
During his days at Sporting Lisbon and Man Utd, Fernandes has scored 25 of his 27 penalty efforts – a conversion rate of 92.6 per cent.
However, both of Fernandes’ misses have come at United, including his weekend howler against Villa, making his Premier League record nine out of 11 (81.8 per cent).
After his most-recent miss, Fernandes took to Instagram to apologise to fans.
The grovelling midfielder wrote: “Nobody is more frustrated and disappointed than me for missing the penalty and the consequent defeat.
“I’ve always assumed my responsibilities and I’ve always embraced them under pressure in moments like this. Today, I failed.
“But I took a step forward and faced the challenge with the same ambition and responsibility as when, on the many other occasions, the ball ended up in the net.
“Criticism and contrasting opinions are a big part of football. I’ve learned to live with it, even using them to drive me on.
“I consider it all a very important part of my commitment to never stop trying to improve and to become the best player I can possibly be, for me and the team.”
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Fernandes continued: “Today I once again took the responsibility given to me almost since I joined United and I will take it again without any fear or dread whenever called upon.”
“The most important thing for me is to win together and I’ll always do everything I can to help my team-mates and the club to be the best we can be.
“I’m a player who leaves everything on the pitch, with great desire and commitment. And that’s what I’ll continue to do.
“Thank you for all your support after the final whistle! Hearing you chanting my name in the stadium was very emotional.
“I will come back stronger for me, because these are the standards I hold myself to, but most of all for my team-mates and our fans who have always supported us.”