'I am happy with Bruno as captain' — Ten Hag backs Fernandes

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has backed Bruno Fernandes, saying he is happy with him as a stand-in captain when Harry Maguire is absent, following calls for him to be stripped of the role.

Fernandes came under heavy criticism for his antics in Manchester United's 7-0 defeat, many of which were tagged disgraceful; however, Ten Hag has played down a demotion for his acting captain.

Erik ten Hag and Marcus Rashford spoke in the press conference ahead of their Europa League round of 16 match against Real Betis at Old Trafford.

Like his superstar, Rashford, who defended Bruno, Erik ten Hag also had no negative words to say about the Portuguese. He even went out of his way to sing his praises. 

Ten Hag revealed that he is very happy with Bruno Fernandes' impact on his team, claiming they will not be where they are in the league table and other competitions with the effort Fernandes has put in.

The Dutch manager further explained that no one is perfect and that he is happy for Bruno Fernandes to continue in the role as captain whenever Harry Maguire is not on the field.  

“I think he's playing a brilliant season," Ten Hag said about Bruno Fernandes, according to Sky Sports.

"He's played an important role in the position that we are. No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. 

"I'm really happy to have him in my team, and I'm happy with him as our captain with Harry not on the pitch.”

Manchester United suffered the joint-worst defeat in their history and the heaviest in the Premier League era last weekend against Liverpool.  

Darwin Nunez, Mohammed Salah, and Cody Gakpo all netted braces before Roberto Firmino came off the bench to cap off the scoring.

When Ten Hag was asked if his team let him down, he negated, saying they win and lose together.  

He acknowledged the mess that was their performance at Anfield and said they would work towards correcting it together. 

“No, we are in the same boat; we do it together. We win together and lose together. We made a mess on Sunday, and we have to deal with that.”

He also spoke about their poor mentality in the defeat to Klopp's side; however, he made it out to be a learning curve in their growth.

“We were really below average [vs Liverpool], especially mentality-wise. We want to win trophies, and you have to act differently.

 After Sunday, we got a big lesson. We take it and we have to move on, look forward. Use all the energy and focus on the next game.”

Manchester United will host Real Betis on Thursday in the Europa League as they look to shake off the defeat to Liverpool, and get back on their campaign for multiple trophies this season