"I tried to help him" - Bruno Fernandes reveals he apologized to ex-Manchester United boss Ten Hag after his sacking
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has stated that he apologized to former manager Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked by the Red Devils. Ten Hag was shown the door by United after their 2-1 loss to West Ham in the Premier League on October 27, with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking over as interim manager.
Van Nistelrooy has taken charge of two games so far; leading the Red Devils to a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup in his first game. In his second game in charge, United secured a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday, November 3.
After the game, Bruno Fernandes, who scored the only goal for Manchester United, discussed Ten Hag's exit. He said to Sky Sports (via Metro):
"I spoke to the manager [Ten Hag] and apologised to him if there was something I could have done better for him. I was disappointed he has gone and I tried to help him."
"I wasn’t scoring goals, we are not scoring goals and I feel responsible because I normally score a lot of goals but I always gave 100% to help. The main thing is that he is aware of that."
The Red Devils are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the Premier League this season. They have scored nine goals in 10 games, with only Crystal Palace (eight) and Southampton (seven) scoring fewer in the same number of games.
Bruno Fernandes has also struggled to find the net this season. In all competitions, he has scored three goals and provided five assists in 15 games. All three of his goals came after Ten Hag was sacked as Fernandes scored a brace against Leicester before netting a penalty against the Blues.
Bruno Fernandes discusses how Manchester United dressing room was affected by Ten Hag's sacking
Bruno Fernandes has discussed how the Manchester United players were affected by Ten Hag's sacking. Speaking to Sky Sports after the Chelsea match, he went into detail about the dressing room's reaction.
The Red Devils captain said (via Metro):
"We know that Erik [ten Hag] has gone, it is not good for anyone at the club when the manager goes. It means the team is not the best, the results are not the best and he is the one who pays for it."
"Whenever you see a manager go you have to take some of the blame on yourself and look in the mirror first because it is because the team is not doing so well. We all know that when the manager leaves everyone is involved but only one pays because It is easier to get rid of a manager than 15 players."
Ruben Amorim is set to take over the reins as Manchester United's head coach from November 11. In the meantime, Fernandes will hope he and his teammates can turn the club's fortunes around in their upcoming games.