Man Utd Fans Fume on Twitter After Bruno Fernandes Bags Hat-Trick of Assists for Sporting CP

A virtuoso performance from Sporting CP playmaker Bruno Fernandes has left Manchester United fans ruing the club's decision to abandon a summer move.

He set up all three of his side's goals in a 3-1 victory away to Portimonense on Sunday, with the Red Devils suffering a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford a day prior. 

The Portuguese's current employers slapped a €70m price tag on his head as United made their interest known, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men eventually opted not to pursue a deal - instead sticking with the options already at their disposal.

Fernandes collected his first assist barely two minutes into the clash in Portimão as he released Raphinha down the right, the Brazilian then cutting inside and whipping a wonderful effort into the top corner.

A neat square ball 160 seconds later allowed Luiz Phellype to tap home, with the midfielder making it a hat-trick of assists when he dinked a ball over the top to the unmarked Raphinha after the break.

United supporters were incensed by their team's drab display at home to Palace on Saturday and focused much of their criticism on academy graduate Jesse Lingard, who hasn't scored or assisted a goal since December.

Had the club paid the fee for Fernandes, he would have likely been patrolling the middle of the park instead of Lingard, a fact that many Red Devils were quick to point out on Twitter. 

Here's a brief look at some of the best angst on offer...

It really is a laughable situation for the club...

One fan didn't even wait for Fernandes to complete his treble, tweeting his disdain with the Sporting score still at 2-1...

Another highlighted a truly damning statistic for Lingard and his employers...

Some supporters weren't just worried about the present, raising concerns about problems that could come further down the line...

The general consensus is pretty clear, then. The fans want the 24-year-old in the north-west and Lingard anywhere else.

Time to step up, Jesse.