Fernandes: it felt like United were haunted
Bruno Fernandes started that it felt like Manchester United were haunted after they lost their first two games of the season.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes stated that it felt like they were haunted at the start of the new season.
The Red Devils suffered a home defeat to Brighton in the opening game of Erik Ten Hag’s era.
The following game ended in disappointment for the Reds aswell after the fell 4-0 in the hands of Brentford.
The former Sporting Lisbon captain stated that the performance reminded him of the bad days towards the end of former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure, which was followed by the Ralf Rangnick’s interim spell.
But United have recovered strongly since the first two defeat, winning their next four Premier League matches, with Liverpool and Arsenal among those defeated.
Fernandes told The Athletic: “You can feel it between us, between the fans, in the atmosphere, that is was like getting back to the past.
“Everyone felt the confidence was low again. Everyone was a little – not afraid – but not feeling the best to take the ball. I felt sometimes like it was the ghosts from the past.
“Then Brentford was even worse. We conceded a goal from nothing and all of a sudden you could see the energy of the team was low, the confidence was low.”
He adds: “There was an atmosphere between everyone where the confidence was low and everything was really down.”
Fernandes describes Rangnick as a ‘good manager with good ideas’ but admits his pressing game ‘did not fit with everyone’.
However, the Ten Hag era really started with a battling 2-1 win over Liverpool and they have since beaten Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal to raise hopes of a top four finish.
Fernandes credits the Dutch manager for restoring confidence to United after a tough year.
“First of all, he has an idea. He has a style. You have to follow his rules. He is strict on that and I like that,” Fernandes said.
“He has brought discipline, which is something I think we missed in the past. Everyone must be on the same page.
“That is what Pep [Guardiola] and [Jurgen] Klopp have been doing for years, because they have stability in the club and in the way they choose the transfer market and build the team, which is really important for them to get the rewards.”
Manchester United will return to action with a derby visit to Manchester City after the international break.