Pep Guardiola names Bruno Fernandes as the player with “unbelievable influence” at Man United | OneFootball

The FA Cup final tomorrow is where Manchester United’s season will make or break.

In fact, so bad has their performance been in other competitions that it will determine whether there is something to remember at all or just write it off as a long-running nightmare.

Manchester City come into the game on the back of a record fourth-consecutive Premier League title.

United have picked up some semblance of form as well, winning their last two league games but people will hardly mark Erik ten Hag’s side as the favourites for this one.

However, Pep Guardiola has urged his players to be aware of the threat the Red Devils pose, having already been burned once at Old Trafford last year when not many gave United a chance.

Guardiola waxed lyrical about United’s quality upfront and picked out captain Bruno Fernandes as the player with the most influence.

He brushed aside comparisons with Real Madrid, who also conjured up magical moments to knock out City from the Champions League, but nonetheless was aware of the challenges a fit United side can pose.

He said: “Real Madrid is Real Madrid, comparing to them is difficult. They have some very good players up front. The influence of Bruno is unbelievable.”

The Spaniard also backed Ten Hag, saying that he had a tough job on his hands this year due to the sheer amount of injuries to his team.

He said: “I have huge respect for the job he has done. He has had a lot of injuries. They had a lot of problems. The squad is really good but if they are injured you cannot use them.”

Not many United fans would take Guardiola’s comments at face value as he has had a history of making complimentary comments about teams he doesn’t consider a threat.

Having said that, both of his statements are somewhat correct, especially picking out Fernandes as the heart of this United team.

Now to just put his actions into words from the United captain and bring home the club’s second cup in two years and avenge the defeat in last year’s final.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.