Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has become the latest Premier League footballer to have his home targeted by burglars while away on European duty. Three masked intruders broke into the Portuguese midfielder's £4 million Cheshire property during Wednesday night's Champions League fixture against Como in northern Italy.
Burglars strike empty Cheshire residence
Thieves targeted the Red Devils skipper's six-bedroom Nether Alderley residence at approximately 8:30pm on Wednesday while he was representing his club abroad. According to The Sun, the culprits fled with several high-value possessions, including designer jewellery, after forcing their way inside.
Fortunately, the Daily Mail reports that the 32-year-old's family were away from the property when the break-in occurred.
Alert neighbours prompt police response
The mansion sits within Cheshire's affluent 'Golden Triangle' neighbourhood, a popular residential enclave for top-flight players where officers were photographed conducting enquiries on Thursday morning.
The burglary happened on the same evening that the playmaker featured for 67 minutes of his side's humbling 4-1 defeat to Como before being substituted for Joshua Zirkzee by manager Michael Carrick.
Neighbours raised the alarm after spotting three 'unknown men' in the back garden, though the gang escaped before police arrived 10 minutes later. Confirming that a full investigation is underway into the raid, a Cheshire Police spokesperson stated: "At around 8.30pm on Wednesday 21 October, police were called to reports of suspicious activity at an address in the Alderley Park area of Nether Alderley.
"The caller reported three unknown men in the rear garden of a neighbouring property. Officers attended the scene and on arrival there was no trace of the suspects. However, officers discovered that there had been a burglary at the address and a number of items had been stolen."
Detectives appeal for local witnesses
Wednesday's break-in is the latest in a string of high-profile robberies targeting footballers based in the north-west of England. Fernandes' international team-mate and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias had his Alderley Edge home burgled back in January, while Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez have also suffered similar ordeal in previous years.
Urging local residents to come forward with any information that could assist officers in tracking down the perpetrators, Detective Inspector David Jarvis added: "This investigation is in its early stages at this time, and we're committed to doing all we can to trace the people responsible. As part of our enquiries, we're keen to hear from anyone who was in the local area at the time and believes they may have witnessed anything suspicious."
Club officials offer full support
Old Trafford officials are currently providing support to their club captain and have requested that the privacy of both the player and his family be respected during a distressing period. The off-field ordeal compounds a testing week for the Portugal international as Carrick's squad attempt to regroup from a seven-match winless run. United are scheduled to return to Premier League action at home to Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.