Erik Ten Hag has fumed at people criticizing Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has level Bruno Fernandes criticism as ‘crazy’ after the midfielder scored the only goal against Aston Villa yesterday.
Fernandes faced questions about whether he should captain United again after Liverpool defeated the Red Devils 7-0 in March.
Ten Hag defended the Portugal international at the time and took the opportunity to do so again after he helped United to a vital victory in the race for the top four.
“He’s so tough, a couple of weeks ago there were questions about his captaincy, it’s crazy,” Ten Hag told his postmatch news conference.
“He’s such a big leader. He gives so much energy to the team. His determination, his passion, his resilience; we need such players if you want to win games and make trophies.”
Fernandes was left needing crutches after the FA Cup semifinal against Brighton but returned to the team to play 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham just four days later.
He was named captain against Villa in the absence of Harry Maguire and scored the only goal of the game in the first half after Emiliano Martinez had parried Marcus Rashford’s shot.
“You need players like Bruno to be successful,” Ten Hag added. “He understands the moment when to close down, when to put an opponent into trouble,
“He knows when to track back and close passing lines, close opponents, even if our press gets beat he tracks back. He can play in between lines and then get behind lines. He has so many skills, it’s a pleasure to work with players like him.”
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