Bruno Fernandes has welcomed Erik ten Hag’s strict new approach and admitted Manchester United ’s players needed to be brought into line.
Ten Hag has introduced a series of hardline rules he expects United’s players to observe, including strict timekeeping for training and meetings, and no mobile phones at mealtimes. United’s new boss believes discipline off the field is just as important as on it, if the team are to be successful, with Fernandes admitting that had been allowed to slip last season.
“I think we missed that for a while,” said Fernandes. "For me, the way I see discipline is important. Discipline is not only the way you play on the pitch, the position that you have, what you have to do.
“It’s also off the pitch – don't be late for the meetings, don't be late for the meals. I think that's really important, because if everyone is on time and someone comes late, he should be punished. So I think that's really good that he's doing that and for me amazing, because I like to be on time, so I won’t have problems with that.”
Fernandes said United’s players have got last season - when they finished sixth with their lowest points total of the Premier League era - out of their system and are focused on following ten Hag’s blueprint for success.
“Last season we forgot a long time ago,” said Fernandes. “It is what it is, it was not the best season for us, we know that, this club demands more from us, but it's always about the next game. In football there's no past, everyone forgets so quickly what you have done in the past, so we know the future is what we have to do better.
“We have to improve, we train, we have to perform, so it's looking to the future. The way he wants to approach the game is different. He demands a lot and that's good, because we concentrate a lot now, because we know that if we don't do what he wants, you're out of the team, you don't play, so I think that's a good thing.”
Ten Hag is introducing a proactive, possession-based style, focused on keeping the ball, with Fernandes unhappy at the perception that he was one of United’s more wasteful players last season.
“When I arrived in 2020, I was losing the same amount of balls in those first six months and then, the year after, I lost the same amount of balls,” said Fernandes. “But I scored 28 goals, so people didn‘t complain about that. Now last season, because I scored only 10 - because for some people it's only 10 goals - people start complaining, but I'm okay with that, I don't worry.
"I do my best, I know I always give my best, I always try to help my team-mates. They know that even when I miss passes, I'm trying to give something to them, so I'm okay with that. Obviously I will have to do what the coach demands from me, and what he demands from me I will do, because he thinks it's the best for the team and, for me, the best for the team is the best for me.”
