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Erik ten Hag hails Fernandes’ finish as Man Utd sink Saints
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag thinks Bruno Fernandes has been ‘enlivened’ by being given the club’s captaincy, according to reports. The Portugal international has replaced Harry Maguire as skipper for recent matches against Liverpool and Southampton. However, there’s still no indication he’ll be given the armband on a permanent basis.
Manchester United saw Maguire struggle during their first two Premier League matches as the club lost to Brighton and Brentford.
Since then, the England international has found himself stuck on the bench - with Fernandes then taking the armband as a result.
The Portugal international was lively as United beat Liverpool last Monday, while he impressed by scoring the only goal of the game as the Red Devils saw off Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday.
According to The Athletic, Ten Hag thinks Fernandes has been ‘enlivened’ by having the responsibility of being captain for recent matches.
The 28-year-old went off the boil last year, struggling for consistency as the club finished sixth in the Premier League table under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Some believe Fernandes’ form suffered due to the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who instantly became United’s talisman again.
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has made Bruno Fernandes club captain for recent matches (Image: GETTY)
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Yet the former Sporting Lisbon star has started to show signs of getting back to his best, with his goal against Southampton due to do his confidence a world of good.
Fernandes is likely to retain the armband when Ten Hag’s side lock horns with Leicester on Thursday night.
And that means Maguire is primed to be on the bench again, especially given how well Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have fared in his absence.
Ten Hag, at the start of the summer, resisted calls to strip Maguire of the honour of being captain.
He instead chose to back the former Leicester star yet, just four games into the Dutchman’s tenure, it seems as though the 29-year-old has a huge fight on his hands to get back into the side.
Maguire has been poor for some time now, and the armband no longer offers the protection it once did.
Fernandes, meanwhile, spoke out after the Southampton game and praised his team-mates for digging in to claim all three points.
“It is really tough to play here against them (Saints),” Fernandes told the club website. “They play with loads of intensity, lots of quality, lots of bodies up front.
“They created many problems but we did a great game with good sacrifice and spirit, a big win for us.
“In the first-half we had some control, we create more chances than them but they did have their chances. In the second-half, the first 15 minutes we came out really intense.”
Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes struck the winner against Southampton on Saturday (Image: GETTY)
And he also added: “After we scored we dropped a little bit and gave them too much space to build from the back. Even when we score, we should be more proactive and try to play a little bit more.
“They put loads of bodies up front and it's difficult when you recover the ball lower up the pitch, they react and are strong when they lose the ball.
“But if you can get that pass through you can be three against two as they leave the centre-backs on their own.”
Ten Hag also spoke out after the game and hailed United for their resilience as they emerged from the heat of the battle victorious.
“I think we did a lot better [than] against Brentford,” he said.
“I saw a team on the pitch, good organisation, fight for each other, following the rules and I think there were also some really good moments from playing football and we scored in the best part of [our play] after half-time.
Man Utd star Harry Maguire is facing the prospect of falling down Erik ten Hag's pecking order (Image: GETTY)
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“I think that 10, 15 minutes was really good. We played a really good possession game and we scored a wonderful goal.
“From Bruno, the finish [was brilliant]. Don’t get me wrong, it was a quite fantastic finish and I am really happy for him.
“It is his first goal of the season so it is really good, but I think it was the best part of [our performance was] straight after half-time when we kept control.
“Rashford was more of the target and that is what we demanded at half-time. Be more of a target and we can play off you and you saw that.
“Then you get movement round and I think we created straight after half-time three really good chances, and that is how I see football, how I want us to play.”
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