Bruno Fernandes is full of praise for Erik ten Hag’s leadership at Manchester United. The 28-year-old midfielder, who contributes the captain’s armband in the absence of Harry Maguire the Red Devils, sees the manager treating every player the same, citing the example of Marcus Rashford, who had to start on the bench after being late. “I was sitting next to David De Gea and we realized: this is how it should be,” Fernandes told BT Sports.
Ten Hag took over from interim manager Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford last summer. United finished sixth in the Premier League and had an extremely disappointing season as a result. A new wind had to blow under Ten Hag and Fernandes still remembers the Dutchman’s first weeks well. “We went on a tour during the preparation. Ten Hag asked a lot of us during those training sessions. He said: it’s hit or miss.”
The Portuguese indicates that the selection did not know what to expect in the beginning. “Initially, everyone watched the cat out of the tree and wondered whether he would really intervene. We wondered if he would also appeal to a big player, if necessary.” Fernandes indicates that Ten Hag did this consistently every time. “That was indeed the case. He did it with Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Rashford.” The latter had to start on the bench in the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-1) because he was too late for the match meeting.
Ten Hag’s decision made an impression within the selection, says the reserve captain. “Marcus was in good shape, but the manager immediately passed him. Marcus was our big man and we needed him, or so we thought. But Ten Hag put him on the bench. Everyone then thought ‘wow’. A little later I was sitting next to De Gea and we realized: this is how it should be.” Fernandes says that younger players could have thought that they could also be late for match discussions, if Ten Hag had not intervened.
Rashford was logically not happy with his reserve role against Wolves. “He was angry and wanted to play,” says Fernandes. “But he behaved in an exemplary manner and came to sit on the bench. In the end he also scored the winning goal: he won the game for us. He then walked off the field with Ten Hag laughing. That was the end of story. The manager demanded the maximum from Marcus during every training session and every game. Not only on the field, but also off it.”