Bruno Fernandes’ ‘frosty’ exchange with Cristiano Ronaldo ‘just a joke’

Stand down. Nothing to see here. Honest.

For a few hours there, it seemed the tremors from Cristiano Ronaldo's tell-all interview with Piers Morgan were being felt inside the Portugal World Cup camp, after footage was widely shared on social media of an exchange between Ronaldo and Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes. Unless you've been under a rock for the last 48 hours, you'll know that Ronaldo has sat down with Morgan to tell the world how unhappy he is with his current position at Manchester United. The full interview hasn't been broadcast yet, but we already know he's had a dig at Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family and Gary Neville but quite likes the the catering staff at the training ground. Only a matter of weeks after he took it upon himself to leave Old Trafford early, United fans aren't too impressed with his decision to go forward with the interview, which Morgan claims Ronaldo instigated. And for a short while on Monday night, it seemed Bruno Fernandes wasn't best pleased with him either, after footage of an exchange between the pair spread like wildfire on social media. Portugal are preparing for their opening World Cup fixture against Ghana next week, and their social media team showed the moment Fernandes arrived slightly late at their base. Ronaldo extends a hand to greet him, with Fernandes eventually grabbing it, without making eye contact. That was it. But plenty on social media seemed to think there was a hint of tension to it. https://twitter.com/SmnLlyd5/status/1592285342346153984 That, we know now, was not the case at all. The Athletic report that sources close to the player say that it was a joke about the late arrival of Fernandes' flight from England and that there was no more to it than that. Doesn't look like much of a joke, but given all that's happened, it's easy to see why people might jump to the wrong conclusion. Related links:

• Bruno Fernandes ‘is frosty with Cristiano Ronaldo’ in tense new footage
• Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan: Follow updates live in our hub
• Cristiano Ronaldo set to be fined £1m for Piers Morgan interview