People doubting Bruno Fernandes is ‘crazy’, says Man United boss Ten Hag after Villa win

Bruno Fernandes has been a bitter-sweet character at Manchester United. The midfielder is loved for his immense potential, but his captaincy appointment has been under scrutiny for a long time.

Fernandes’ antics in the past few months in adverse situations have been criticized by pundits. And it came to the worst in Man United’s 7-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

Fernandes was instrumental in Man United’s win over Aston Villa on Sunday. The 28-year-old scored the solitary goal of the match as the Red Devils secured three massive points. With the win, they now further bolster their top-four hopes.

And after the match, the United boss Erik ten Hag was in all praises for Fernandes.

“I emphasise it all on Thursday, he’s so tough. A couple of weeks ago there were questions about his captaincy, it’s crazy,” Ten Hag said after the Aston Villa win.

The Dutch manager believes players like the Portugal international are the leaders United need and they need players like Fernandes to win silverware.

“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,” the United manager added.

Big win. Big performance. Let’s keep this momentum up ???? pic.twitter.com/qR9VeKoGbD

— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) April 30, 2023

Fernandes also scored the 100th league goal in his career across clubs. The former Sporting CP player joined the Manchester club in January 2020. He has played for Italian clubs Udinese, Sampdoria, before making a move to his native club in Portugal.

Fernandes has also played 55 times for Portugal, scoring 13 goals in them. The midfielder will be hoping to continue his form as United face Brighton in their next PL match. United are currently 4th in the PL table with 63 points after 32 matches.