Bruno Fernandes.

Fernandes sets out stall

Wednesday 05 October 2022 12:34

Bruno Fernandes has gone into detail about what he feels Manchester United need to do, in order to get back to the top.

The derby defeat at Manchester City was a chastening experience but the midfielder is in no doubt about how the Reds go about reducing the gap on our neighbours, who are eight points clear of us, in second spot, having played a match more in the Premier League.

Speaking at a press conference to preview Thursday's Europa League tie at Omonia Nicosia, the Portugal international was clear over where he feels the club has gone wrong in the past and eloquently conveyed his thoughts on the high standards that need to be achieved at Old Trafford.

Confirmed: United's squad for Cyprus trip

 Article

See the full list of players Erik ten Hag is taking to our Europa League game against Nicosia.

"We don't have to focus on anyone else," explained Fernandes. "We have to focus on ourselves. That has been the problem for the club in previous years, that we want to compare ourselves with other teams.

"We can't do that. We have to do the best we can for this club because this club wants to get to the top. But we have to do it ourselves. We have to look inside and decide from problems or mistakes, what we can improve. You cannot change anything away from here. You can change what you're doing here, on the day by day, in the games.

"You can do different things for yourself, for your team, and that is what we have to think. Not about Arsenal or Liverpool or whoever. We have to think about ourselves doing the best we can, win every game that we can in our hands, and, in the future, we will see where we are in the table. Whether it's first, second, or even lower.

"When I came to the club, it was probably was not the best period for the club," he admitted. "We did really well, went to the Champions League. The season after, we finished second, we got to the final of the Europa League and obviously, in my third season, it was not the standard that this club deserves.

"We start this season with a project, I think it's really clear from the club that we want to make a standard with the manager, an idea of play and I think everyone has to be on the same page. It has been like that, even in the defeats, because we did really well in the pre-season, we get back and we understand that the Premier League is not that easy. We have to be at the high standard and the high level and understand that every game will be difficult.

"We get our four consecutive wins straight away. We beat teams - with Arsenal who are doing well, with Leicester that is always tough to play away. Southampton is always tough to play away and obviously with Liverpool - and now we have this setback. But this setback hasn't changed our ideas or our way of playing for what we want to do as a team.

"I think it should be that the club doesn't want to change anything at all because it is a process, as the manager said," he added. "And, in this kind of process, if you go to the reality we had three months together with the manager. So this will take time. Obviously, [it is] different ideas and I think the team is doing really well.

"We had a bad result against one of the better teams in our league so it's tough because it is a rival, it's a derby. The result was [bad] but now it is time to get back and win straight away tomorrow, and, after, get away again [at Everton on Sunday] to win consecutive games.

"Everyone knows what we have to do and it is about, as I said before, getting back to the wins, believe in the process, because, as I said before, it's a process, we will get time. We have been doing really well in the previous games before City. It is a setback and you have to get up, and as everyone knows, when you start getting a good result, and we will get a good result tomorrow, we will be back and that is the most important thing."

Recommended: