Bruno Fernandes has dismissed Erik ten Hag’s concerns by insisting that tiredness won’t be a problem for Manchester United in the final few games of the season.
United have suffered 1-0 defeats against Brighton and West Ham in their past two matches to allow Liverpool within one point of them in fourth place in the Premier League. Ten Hag’s side are the only team to have played midweek football every week since returning from the World Cup break and there are concerns they are fizzling out.
Ten Hag has privately expressed concerns that the huge workload which has come from winning the Carabao Cup final, reaching the FA Cup final and the quarter-finals of the Europa League, could prove costly at the business end of the campaign.
Fernandes has been a key player for United this season, playing 54 matches in all competitions, and he is convinced the squad has enough to pull through.
“Tiredness is always there,” he told Sky Sports. “We play many games so that's normal, but our club, we want to play as many games as possible, to be in a position to win trophies and reach finals. You have to find a way to rest when possible.”
United host Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday before further Premier League games against Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham. They need to ensure they make the most of their game in hand on Liverpool to secure Champions League football next season before turning their attention to the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3.
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Fernandes is confident they will address the problems that have arisen in the past two games and make sure of a top-four finish. “This club has to be in that position,” he said.
“And I think these players deserve to be there too. The team has done a great job this season when no one thought United could be fighting for the top four. At the beginning of the season no one put our team in the top six. We knew we could be even higher. And soon this club will be fighting for even bigger things."
Ten Hag has been at pains not to use use tiredness as an excuse, but it is clear it has been a problem of late. "It’s the first time since Christmas that those players have a full week," he said after the defeat by West Ham.
"We have to reset, reload, get the energy back and keep going. But tiredness is in your head. If you want, if you have the willingness, you can take it. It’s now up to the players, me and the coaching staff to be together, get the willingness in and the belief that we can take it and this team has it.
"You can’t feel sorry for yourself, as a team stick together, as an individual take responsibility, make sure you have the energy, you have the focus, then play as a team and you get a result because we have proof of that all season."
