Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has stated that the club’s players must prove their worth and show they have the quality to represent the Red Devils during a challenging period in the club’s history.
Fernandes came to United’s rescue in Thursday’s Europa League match against Rangers, scoring a dramatic last-minute winner that has left the team in a strong position to reach the knockout stages of the competition.
However, despite the win, Manchester United currently sit 13th in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday’s match against Fulham, and Fernandes insists the players need to show resilience and character in these tough times.
He also addressed head coach Ruben Amorim’s controversial comment that this is “the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United.”
Fernandes urges Manchester United players to show character during tough times
“The reality is to play here you have to have that pressure, you have to have the balls to play for this club – that is what it is,” Fernandes said. “You have to feel that in every moment in every game it is a new chance to bring us back to the position we deserve. Unfortunately for us this season, there have been too many ups and downs, and every time we look like getting there, we get punched again and go down.”
He continued: “What we have to do is every time we take a punch and go down, we must get up and try to punch back.”
Fernandes responded to Amorim’s comments about the team, saying: “I don’t want to hear my manager saying certain things about the team because I know he doesn’t feel it. But he made himself part of that and when the manager makes himself part of what he’s saying, no one can get angry or disappointed by it.”
The Portuguese midfielder went on to explain: “When he says ‘the worst team in Manchester’, he speaks about the position we are in, and when you look at where we are in the league, we are in the worst position we’ve ever been.”
“So you have to take it, that’s the reality unfortunately. We are in this position for a long time and the club doesn’t belong there. But we have to accept that and understand we need to push ourselves to much bigger things and higher positions.”
Man United face crucial stretch in their campaign
Manchester United will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to Fulham on Sunday evening, before they take on FCSB next Thursday in their final Europa League group match.
After that, they’ll face Crystal Palace at home on February 2, followed by Leicester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on February 7. These fixtures will be crucial for Amorim’s side as they attempt to recover from a difficult start to the season.
Fernandes, who has scored nine goals and registered 11 assists in 32 appearances for United this season, will once again captain the 20-time English champions at Craven Cottage.
