Bruno Fernandes is loving life under Erik ten Hag, and this is in part down to his disciplinarian approach and clear footballing philosophy.
Speaking to Sky Sports about life under the new boss, Manchester United’s number eight emphasised his strict approach and clear philosophy.
Fernandes first said on Ten Hag: “He wants his rules, he demands a lot from us and he wants everyone on the same page doing the same things,”
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He continued by explaining, “Everyone knows they have to be pushing to the same side and if not, they will be out of the team.”
“That's a good thing because if you want to be successful as a team you have to be always in the same way.”
Ten Hag’s strict, demanding nature and set philosophy has been well documented in his time at United so far, with multiple other players commenting on it.
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This change is clearly a welcome one, with players already having a greater idea of what to do both in and out of possession than fans have seen in the last decade.
The squad have also looked far happier and seem to have a greater sense of togetherness since the Dutchman’s arrival, united in their mission to return the club to the top of football.
It was reported that there are five new key rules that Ten Hag has introduced into the training centre.
On his discipline, Fernandes said: "He brings discipline but he also gives players the freedom to make choices.
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“But he has his own rules we have to follow, but he also wants to give some responsibility to the older ones.”
He revealed a softer core underneath the tough outer shell however, stating “He's strict, he's tough, but at the same time, he's a nice and easy guy to chat to.”
He then went on to speak about the collective need for the squad to buy into Ten Hag’s ideas and listen to his demands, believing it will make the team successful.
“If everyone understands that we have to follow the rules, follow what the coach demands and what the team demands, everyone will be on the same page, so that's what will make the team successful.”
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“I think everyone will be happy at the end of the season if we can do everything he wants us to do.”
Ten Hag’s demands are significant, but the Portuguese midfielder believes that he has communicated them to the players well, as well as the consequences of not following them.
“I think it's clear. He explains really well what he wants and he demands, that so anyone not doing what he demands, they know they will be punished.
“So I think when you talk about discipline, it's about that. He's very clear, so there's no way you can escape from that.
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“Even if you don't understand English you can understand the way he wants to play, so I think that is really important for us.”
He called on his fellow senior players to help enforce this: “Nobody can get away with anything with him and the senior players have to play their part too, making sure that everyone is on the same page.”
Fernandes is not the only senior player to speak about Ten Hag’s impact in recent days, with Raphaël Varane also recently speaking about the confidence he instils in players.
Manchester United play Aston Villa in Perth tomorrow in their final game of their tour of the far east as they look to continue their impressive run of form.
Topics: Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Football
Yusuf Haq