Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag savages Bruno Fernandes with joke about captain during boozy FA Cup celebrations
ERIK TEN HAG savaged Bruno Fernandes with a joke about his captain during the boozy FA Cup celebrations.
Ten Hag, who looked set to be sacked, led his team to a brilliant display to deny Premier League champions Man City a double, double as Utd won 2-1 at Wembley.
They defied all the speculation over the Dutchman’s job to take the lead on half hour when Alejandro Garnacho, 19, pounced on a defensive mix-up between Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol.
United then doubled their lead courtesy of a fine finish from fellow teen Kobbie Mainoo after a superb assist from Bruno Fernandes.
Jeremy Doku set-up a nervy finish as he pulled one back in the final stages but – after some ‘s***housery’ from Scott McTominay – but the Red Devils held firm to secure the trophy.
Ten Hag embraced both of his teenage goalscorers like a “proud father” after the final whistle
Jonny Evans became the first player that called for Ten Hag to keep his job despite co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe refusing to comment when he was asked about it straight at Wembley.
Despite that, the FA Cup winners partied long into the night – and it was at the after-party that the boss jokingly took aim at Fernandes, 29.
McTominay, 27, was shouting “Bruno” just as Ten Hag was about to give a speech alongside the captain.
That was when the manager joked: “Hey Scott, Bruno asked me if I want to speak. Normally, he speaks only!”
Ten Hag had earlier proven himself to be a true red devil when delivering a sly dig at Roy Keane live on ITV after the epic win.
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When quizzed on what Ten Hag had got right tactically, Fernandes told ITV: “Everything. He prepares every game well. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
“I think you could see it was about being compact and making pressure between the lines.”
He added: “We knew what we needed to win today.
“They are a brilliant team, they play good football and have amazing players, but we knew if we had the right spirit we could win today.”
The jubilant scenes kicked off in the dressing room as stars were soaked in Champagne and Victor Lindelof started swigging cans of Carling.
Once at the official after-party, a number of players were spotted looking sharp in shirts, with Ten Hag, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Andre Onana donning suits for the occasion.
Meanwhile, Garnacho and Amad Diallo went for a more low-key look as they simply donned Man Utd shirts for the party, while Sofyan Amrabat went with a check shirt and white trousers combo.
The club revealed an emotional open letter to supporters yesterday as they declared their excitement for the future – although it remains uncertain for Ten Hag.
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United ended the campaign eighth in the Premier League, their lowest top-flight finish since 1989-90.
That would have meant missing out on Europe, but the victory over City ensures that they will have Europa League football next term with Newcastle, who finished seventh in the Prem, missing out.
United chiefs are now set to undertake a performance review on Ten Hag next week.
New part-owner Ratcliffe had decided to replace the Dutch boss – with Kieran McKenna, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Gareth Southgate, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter all in the frame.
But he has been rattled by fan power as United announced a delay in a public announcement on Ten Hag’s future with supporters at Wembley backing the boss as others on social media pleaded with him to stay.
Erik ten Hag's Man Utd record
Here is a look at Erik ten Hag's record in charge of Manchester United.
Games: 114
Wins: 68
Draws: 15
Losses: 31
Goals scored: 207
Goals conceded: 156
Points per game: 1.92
Honours: EFL Cup x1 (2023), FA Cup x1 (2024)