13 January 2023 , 22:30
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Bruno Fernandes says Erik ten Hag's no-nonsense approach has been the key to Manchester United's remarkable revival.
Ten Hag has restored discipline to United, with stand-in-skipper Fernandes claiming the new hardline approach has been the making of the squad. Before his acrimonious exit, Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped by Ten Hag for refusing to come off the bench as a late substitute against Tottenham.
And Marcus Rashford was dropped to the bench for United's trip to Wolves for being late for a team meeting after oversleeping. Fernandes said United's players have learned they cannot cut corners under Ten Hag, a move which is bringing out the best in every member of the squad and keeping them on their toes.
“It's good for everyone to understand that you can't go over the line,” said Fernandes. “You have to follow the rules of the team, you have to follow the rules of the manager. Obviously for us, at that moment, Marcus was already in good form. Everyone noticed that the manager was changing the team because Marcus was late.
“At the same moment, everyone felt like, 'we have to be here on time, that's the responsibility we have. We have to do what the manager wants and that is not what the manager wants’. Those are the rules - being on time for training, for meetings, for whatever it is - we have to be always on time.
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“Marcus did really well because he knew he was wrong. It's difficult to accept sometimes, but he accepted it, came on and decided the game for us.”
Bruno Fernandes has been impressed by the discipline Erik ten Hag has brought to Manchester United (Copa/Getty Images)United felt the full force of Ten Hag's hardline approach after their 4-0 loss at Brentford when he made them run 14km the next day – the distance the team was outrun by.
Ten Hag joined his players in running the gruelling distance and Fernandes hailed it as a turning point – United beat Liverpool 3-1 and, since then, no Premier League side has won more points.
“When a manager does the punishment - it was supposed to be a day off - it makes us feel he knows he was part of that bad result,” Fernandes added.
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Marcus Rashford was left on the bench against Wolves (Getty Images)“He wanted to make us understand we're together, in the good moments and in the bad moments. That shows he's a manager who takes responsibility and not only puts it on the players.”
Ten Hag is the third different United manager Fernandes has played under in three years, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
And in the 52-year-old Dutchman, Fernandes reckons the Red Devils finally have the right man to get them challenging for the big prizes again. “Since the club signed the manager, they have put a direction in which the club wants to follow,” said Fernandes.
“He's been really good for us. We started not so well, as everyone knows, with two really bad results. But after the Liverpool game, the team improved a lot and has been doing many good things.
“The discipline the manager brought has changed the mentality of the entire club, not only the players. After that we came to training and you could see how intense everyone was, how angry everyone was.
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“It was Liverpool, a big game, a tough game. But I think everyone also felt there was no better game to give a response. We got a good result to give us the turnaround in our season. I think it was the turnaround until now.”