Manchester United's midfielder Bruno Fernandes has recalled that Erik Ten Hag's disciplinary action against Marcus Rashford last December is a case study of how the 53-year-old has stamped his authority at Old Trafford and also one of the major driving factors behind the team's progress this campaign.
The former Ajax boss has shown how flexible he can be with tweaking his tactics from the sidelines while his men carry out the damage on the pitch, but Bruno Fernandes has stressed that the Dutch's standardized demands are also one of the reasons he has been successful as manager.
In an interview with the 28-year-old Portuguese international who has been an ever-present figure in Erik Ten Hag's side this season, Rio Ferdinand analyzed Erik Ten Hag and how the manager's demands on and off the pitch have been a big influence on the team's progress.
“When he first arrived and we went on tour, and the training sessions that we had here after that and everything, it was the demands [that stood out], " Bruno Fernandes stated on the between the lines series with Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport.
“He demands from people: "You do it or you're out, and you won't play." So everyone was a little bit curious in the beginning: "Will he do that or not?" "If a big player doesn't do what he wants, will he pull him apart or not?"
And he did it. He did so many times. "He did it with Cristiano [Ronaldo], he did it with Jadon [Sancho], he did it with Marcus [Rashford] also.”
He recalled the instance of Marcus Rashford being demoted to the bench due to discipline issues. The last Man United game of the year against Wolves saw Marcus Rashford start the game from the bench, despite being in sensational form.
“Marcus was probably in his best form against the Wolves,” Bruno Fernandes recalled. “He did something wrong, and the manager just put him out, and everyone was just like, "Wow."
"In the first moment for us, it was like, "Wow, he's been our main man, we need him," but in the second one, I was sitting with David [De Gea] and I said to him, "This has to be like this." If not, the younger ones will think, "If he does nothing to him, he will do nothing to me too."
“So [Erik] demands there from Rashy that you have to be consistent in everything. not only in your game, in your goals, and in your performance, but also off the pitch. Marcus in the beginning he was angry because he wants to play. He didn't do anything wrong; he accepted it, went to the game, scored, and won. That is the end of the story; him and the coach together, smiling and laughing."
“It is the way it has to be." I am a parent, and you are a father too. Sometimes you have to make some hard rules. If not, they will go over you, and in a short period of time, they will be the owners of the house!" He attested.
It could be recalled that Manchester United struggled to attain three needed points against Wolves in a match that was a Premier League fixture. But Manchester United's fans weren't expecting their most informed player to be starting the game from the bench; however, Marcus Rashford came on as a substitute in the second half to break the deadlock for the Red Devils and was particularly seen smiling from end to end with Erik Ten Hag at full time.
The 25-year-old gave a funny account of how he went late for the team's meeting after he overslept.
"I was a little bit late for a meeting; I overslept," Marcus Rashford admitted.
"It's the team rules, and it's a mistake that can happen, but I'm disappointed not to play, but I understand the decision, and I'm happy that we managed to win the game anyway."
"I think we can draw a line under it and move on."
"I'm in a good place, and I'm just pleased with the way that we're progressing." In the past, we could easily have lost or drawn that game," Marcus Rashford explained.
Erik Ten Hag was however happy with the way the England internationals reacted to the team's disciplined action, as he explained in his post-match interview: "
After the decision, he came in, he was bright, he was lively, he scored a goal - that is the right reaction."
"Of course [that is the end of the matter], but everyone has to match rules and values, and if you react like this, this is the right answer."
The United boss was questioned further in his press conference on whether it sent a reminder to the squad to keep their standards high.
"That is how it has to be," Ten Hag added. "We are a team that is hard to beat, but that is because we are attacking with 11 and defending with 11."
"That is because everyone is following the rules." "If you don't do that anymore, if you don't follow the rules, it flows onto the pitch," Erik Ten Hag emphasized.
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