Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha Made the Premier League’s World Cup Group Stage XI. Here’s Why.

The Premier League put together a World Cup group stage Best XI. And two of the guys on it? Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha. That’s not nothing for a club whose season has been a mixed bag.

Fernandes has been running things for Portugal from the start. He’s played every minute of the group stage, lining up alongside João Neves and Vitinha in a three-man midfield. His best moment came against Uzbekistan — a 5-0 win where he set up Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal. But the league’s write-up also pointed out that he created four chances and played five accurate through-balls. And defensively? The guy had seven tackles. That’s not typical for a playmaker, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that keeps you on the field in knockout rounds.

Cunha is a different story. He didn’t start Brazil’s opener against Morocco. He was on the bench. But once he got in the lineup against Haiti, he scored twice. Then he scored again against Scotland to seal a 3-0 win. That’s three goals in two games. Brazil won both 3-0. He kept his spot and now he’s the guy next to Vinicius Junior up top.

The Best XI itself is interesting. It’s not just star power. You’ve got Alisson in goal, Gabriel at center-back for Brazil, and Rodri in midfield next to Fernandes and Bruno Guimaraes. Brian Brobbey from Sunderland made it as a forward. So did Erling Haaland, which is obviously not a surprise. But seeing two United players on that list while the club is in the middle of a rebuild? That’s a real talking point heading into the next Premier League season.

Brazil is back on the field later tonight against Japan. Fernandes and Portugal don’t play until Friday, when they take on Croatia. Both teams are still alive. Both players are in form. That’s all you can ask for this deep in a World Cup.

One more thing worth noting: the Premier League made these picks based on group stage performance only. So these aren’t career achievement awards. These are “you played really well for three games” awards. And both United guys earned it.