Bruno Fernandes speaks out on 'one of hardest moments of career' at Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes has opened up , describing this period as one of the 'hardest moments of his career' following consecutive red cards that have added to the club's woes.

The Portuguese midfielder was sent off in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham but will be back for the upcoming match against Aston Villa after a successful appeal. However, he's set to miss out on their next Europa League fixture

With Erik ten Hag facing mounting pressure and the risk of dismissal if stumble again at Villa, Fernandes, who was named captain by ten Hag in 2023, took to Instagram to share his feelings, vowing not to shy away from the challenge.

"Tough moment as a team and personally for me, one of the hardest. Almost 5 years at the club with ups and downs, good and bad moments," he wrote. "Personally, I have always had challenges and adversities throughout my career and something that's never happened was that I go silent or hide myself from responsibilities in difficult moments."

"I know it sounds cliché and most of you United fans will be tired of it, but no one is more disappointed than myself with my own moment. Even through this moment, I appreciate all of you that had positive messages of belief in me and the team.

Erik ten Hag is doubtless itching for Fernandes to find his mojo, and he's backed the midfielder all the way, dismissing any chatter about disciplinary issues. "The [red] card [against Tottenham] was overturned for Bruno, so they acknowledge there was a mistake on Sunday," Ten Hag explained following the Porto stalemate.

"I would say he was very unlucky against Porto. He gave everything to make a goal. He was in the right spot, and the player came from the blind side and he didn't see him. So I wouldn't address it as undisciplined."

And when Harry Maguire hinted that United's squad might have a mental block, Ten Hag was quick to jump in: "What is the mental issue? There is a range, a spectrum of topics and you have to address it right. So this team has the belief that they don't give up. So they have that range of positive mentality and have a strong mentality. But in some other parts, they have to step up."