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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Bruno Fernandes admits Man Utd stars are "tired" due Erik ten Hag's methods

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has admitted new manager Erik ten Hag is working the players tirelessly with his "intense" training methods.

The Dutchman is getting to grips with his players during his first pre-season tour as Red Devils boss. United's social media team have not been shy in uploading clips of Ten Hag at work, putting the squad through their paces and demanding maximum effort for every minute of every training session.

Ten Hag's possession-based style at Ajax is something he seems keen on recreating at United, with plenty of passing drills seen from short clips of the side as they enjoy their time in Thailand before moving on to Australia.

While there has been plenty of ball work, Fernandes revealed there is still onus on the fitness side of things. The Portuguese international conceded that while the intensity can be difficult, the squad are drastically improving as a result.

"It's been pretty intense,' Fernandes told the United club website. "He [Ten Hag] likes intense training, reactions when you lose the ball. He likes everyone to run. He's been really good.

"Everyone is enjoying [it], obviously. Everyone gets really tired at the end of the training but that's what we have to do. 'We have to be like that at the end of the training, but then you know the training was really good. As I said, we have to do the hard work because, if we do it now, then we will be fit for the beginning of the season."

All of the hard work appears to be paying off if United's first pre-season game is anything to go by. They took on long-term rivals Liverpool at the Rajamangala Stadium on Tuesday afternoon and issued quite the statement with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Reds.

Bruno Fernandes holds the Bangkok Century Cup alongside Erik ten Hag ((Photo by JACK TAYLOR/AFP via Getty Images))

HAVE YOUR SAY! Where will United finish at the end of Ten Hag's debut season? Comment below

Ten Hag's troops were 3-0 up inside the opening 33 minutes after three goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred and Anthony Martial. Facundo Pellistri added the fourth late on in the second-half to put the finishing touches on a fantastic display.

There remains plenty of work to be done in the transfer market, with former Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia the only confirmed new recruit so far.

Negotiations with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong are seemingly never ending despite the fact the two clubs are reported to have agreed a transfer fee of £67million plus add-ons for the Netherlands international.

A deal for former Spurs man Christian Eriksen is also thought to be close, with the Denmark international mulling over the final details of the deal before putting pen to paper. Fernandes could be left fighting for his place if Eriksen does arrive given their similar playing traits.

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