EnglishMidfielder Bruno Fernandes said he was repeatedly called into the office by coach Erik Ten Hag to talk about form and attitude.
"The coach called me to the office two or three times," Fernandes said on BBC Sport June 2nd. “He said 'look, we have to change this. I think you can do it another way'. This season, we have had many such conversations.”
Ten Hag and Fernandes exchanged during the Man Utd - Newcastle match on October 16, 10. Image: Reuters
One of the conversations between Fernandes and Ten Hag was the Portuguese midfielder's attitude on the field. Fernandes caused controversy when he waved repeatedly to his teammates, or asked to be substituted. "The coach knows I care about the team," added Fernandes. “That's why sometimes you do things that you shouldn't. But I never did anything that would make the team worse, or make a team-mate worse, or something that would not be good for the team."
Fernandes is also pleased with how Ten Hag respects, trusts and protects him when needed. That is the motivation for him to respond with good form and attitude.
This season, after 58 matches, Fernandes contributed 13 goals and 15 assists. He brought 32 chances for his teammates, the most in the 2022-2023 Premier League, but only had eight assists. Man Utd have difficulty converting opportunities into goals. They have only 58 goals in 38 Premier League matches from 2022-2023, the lowest in the Top 6.
This season, Fernandes also won his first title with Man Utd, when he beat Newcastle 2-0 in the League Cup final in February. If he wins against Man City in the FA Cup final on the evening of June 2, the Portuguese midfielder will have a second title.
In addition to the ability to win the domestic double, Man Utd also finished the 2022-2023 Premier League with third place. Ten Hag brought the team back to the Champions League in its first season.
Before coming to Man Utd, Ten Hag led Ajax. He won three Dutch championships, two Dutch Cups and one Dutch Super Cup. He also took Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2018-2019 Champions League.
Thanh Quy (follow BBC Sport)
