Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag has hit back at captain Bruno Fernandes’ critics after the midfielder scored a brilliant stoppage-time goal against Fulham in a Premier League tie over the weekend.
Recall that Fernandes scored a late goal to give Man United a 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage after suffering back-to-back 3-0 defeats against Manchester City and Newcastle United, respectively.
Fernandes has come under a lot of criticism in recent weeks, especially after Man United’s defeat against Man City last weekend.
Man United legend Roy Keane disclosed he wanted Fernandes stripped off the captain’s armband, while his former teammate Gary Neville suggested the Portugal international wasn’t fit for a leadership role at Old Trafford.
Speaking about the development, Ten Hag told TNT Sports that he doesn’t understand why Fernandes was criticized, adding that the midfielder is massively important to the team.
“I don’t understand it. So everyone has their mistakes and no-one is perfect,” Ten Hag said.
“But he is doing a lot of things very good. He shows every time as a captain that he is an example. As you saw today, how he is working, how he is pressing and then in the end, he scores the goal. So he’s massively important for us.”