Bruno Fernandes accused Manchester United of being “lazy” in their final pre-season tour match and insisted they must bring in additional signings before the new campaign begins. United secured a 2-2 draw with Everton at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to claim the Premier League Summer Series, having previously defeated West Ham and Bournemouth.
Fernandes, who featured for the entire 90 minutes, netted the opening goal from the penalty spot, but Ruben Amorim’s team surrendered their advantage twice, prompting a fierce response from the captain. “It’s improving, but it’s not where we want it to be,” said Fernandes. “It’s a game of football, there’s always passion there. Whatever happens, happens. There was nothing spicy there, it’s normal, it is part of the game.
“It’s been positive [the US tour] and it’s good to create a bond with the players. We looked a bit lazy today and we need to change that. I don’t want to have a dig at anyone, but I think the club is doing the best they can in terms of all the financial situations they talk about.
“I don’t know about it, I’m not involved in that. But obviously it was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here. We needed more quality to get everyone to step up a bit more and to have more to do to get into the starting line-up. I think that’s what the club and the manager are trying to do and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that.”
United concluded the previous season in a dismal 15th place, marking their worst finish in 50 years, with Fernandes conceding that a shift in attitude and mentality was imperative after such a shambolic campaign.
“It’s every detail, every small detail matters,” Fernandes emphasised. “At this football club you can’t do anything wrong on the pitch and off the pitch, because it’s too big worldwide and you get punished by that. “You get the attention of the media and your fans and you have to be aware of that.
“At this club the culture here was winning and we need to bring that back. Not only the winning mentality that we need, and I think that’s always been there, but obviously if you don’t win you don’t show it.
“The club is trying to improve other things, the facilities have improved, we tried to improve the team, the staff, a lot of things. A lot of people have suffered from this, a lot of people who had been working at the club for many, many years had to go.
“The fans are paying more for tickets and we appreciate all the effort they put in for us so now it’s up to us to pay it back on the pitch.”
Amorim expressed his approval of Fernandes’ candid remarks, indicating that his captain recognises the extensive work required for United to return to competing for top honours. “I’m happy for the players to have that feeling,” Amorim stated.
“It’s saying that they understand the situation. So it’s a good feeling. It’s understanding that in this club, everything is ups and downs. We understand that, but I prefer that feeling [the ups] than the other side.”