Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes' home was burgled on Wednesday while he was in Italy for his club's Champions League game against Como.

It is understood Fernandes' family were not in the house in Cheshire when it was broken into and that the intruders were inside for less than five minutes before police arrived.

United are understood to be supporting the 32-year-old following the break-in.

Cheshire Police told BBC Sport that officers responded to reports of suspicious activity in the area after a caller reported "three unknown men in the rear garden of a neighbouring property" on Wednesday evening.

They added that a burglary had taken place at the address but could "neither confirm nor deny" the identity of the victim.

Detective Inspector David Jarvis from Macclesfield Proactive CID said: "The investigation is in its early stages at this time, and we're committed to doing all we can to trace the people responsible."

It is the latest incident of a family home being burgled while the player was away with their team.

Manchester City player Ruben Dias and former girlfriend Maya Jama suffered a burglary at their home in similar circumstances to Fernandes.

Dias was at City's Champions League game against Galatasaray when his home was targeted in January.

Previous victims in the same area include footballers Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

Portugal midfielder Fernandes has been with Manchester United since joining from Sporting in January 2020.

United were beaten 4-1 by Como and, following the match, Fernandes criticised his manager Michael Carrick's tactics.

However, he will remain as the club's captain and will not be disciplined for his comments. (BBC)