Bruno Fernandes.

Bruno: I know how much derbies mean

Saturday 12 December 2020 11:00

Bruno Fernandes is hoping that Manchester United can respond to our midweek disappointment in Europe by claiming the derby-day spoils against Manchester City on Saturday evening.

The Reds come up against Pep Guardiola’s men at Old Trafford, off the back of Tuesday’s Champions League group-stage exit, after we suffered defeat to RB Leipzig.

With the attention now returning to domestic matters, Bruno is hoping United can produce a response on the pitch by continuing the strong Premier League form that has seen us win our last four outings in the competition.

Fernandes: We know what the derby means Video

Fernandes: We know what the derby means

After accepting his November Player of the Month award, Bruno Fernandes previewed Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford…

“You never have a perfect game to come off a defeat like that because you come out of the Champions League and it’s hard to take,” November’s Premier League Player of the Month explained to club media.

“Obviously, you know in football, when you win a game like that [the derby], the past becomes history.

“So, for me, no [it doesn’t help the pain of Champions League exit]. For the people around the club: the supporters and fans, of course, it will help them to forget that defeat against Leipzig and going out of the Champions League,” he added.

“But, of course, we know winning against Manchester City will give us the spin we need to keep going.”

Having joined the club nearly a year ago, Bruno’s first experience of the fixture came during our last meeting with City; a 2-0 win at Old Trafford back in March.

Despite that being the only derby outing of his United career so far, the Portuguese midfielder already has a good understanding of the fixture’s significance and what it means to everybody associated with the club.

“I think derbies are good to play,” he said. “For supporters, it means [a lot]. I already played in a derby in Portugal, one of the biggest derbies we have: Sporting v Benfica.

“I know the feeling to play that kind of game, but I also know the feeling we players have to win those sorts of games because it means so much for the fans, for the supporters, for everyone in the club, but also for us it means a lot.

“We want to do well; we need to win in the Premier League and we want to do good performances against big teams so we can show that we are at the top, and that we can do much better.”

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