Erik ten Hag lauded Bruno Fernandes as a “great captain” and an inspiration to other Manchester United players after revealing he played through the pain barrier against Tottenham.
Fears were sparked over the United skipper in the days before the Spurs game when his wife posted a photo on social media picturing Fernandes wearing a protective boot.
The Portuguese playmaker suffered an ankle injury in the FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton the previous weekend, but played the full 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.
Fernandes was bright all game, laying on a superb assist for Marcus Rashford’s goal, before hitting the crossbar in the second half after a sublime piece of skill.
But he wasn’t able to inspire United to all three points after Spurs fought back through Pedro Porro and Heung-min Son’s goals to eke out a draw.
“He was tough and big compliment to Bruno,” said Ten Hag. “He absolutely doesn't want to miss this game and he did everything to get fit.”
Ten Hag, who after the game questioned the concentration levels of his players, believes Fernandes is an example to the rest of the squad.
He was speaking ahead of this weekend’s home game against in-form Aston Villa in which United can take a giant step towards Champions League qualification for next term.
Ten Hag added: “I think he is the example and that you have to suffer, that you have to sacrifice when you want to play at the top level, when you want to achieve something.
“So once again, he showed there how [much of a] great captain he is, how he has taken responsibility, even if he is not 100 per cent fit. But he did the job.
“He was important in this game as well, and hopefully others in the team can, not learn, but see him as an inspiration and do the same.”
