Bruno Fernandes’ ankle injury was allayed by Erik ten Hag, who even said there’s a chance the Manchester United midfielder will play against sluggish Tottenham on Thursday night.
The 28-year-old experienced the problem during the first half of Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal triumph over Brighton but was still able to continue playing until the 101st minute of the penalty shootout victory.
When Fernandes’ partner shared a picture of the United playmaker on Monday with his right foot elevated next to a protective boot and some crutches, though, questions about his physical condition began to surface.
The Portugal international was spotted at Carrington on Wednesday during the lunch hour without crutches or a boot, although he appeared to have a very little limp, and Ten Hag speculated that he would play at Spurs on Thursday night.
The United manager acknowledged that some players were unavailable, including Varane and (Lisandro) Martinez.
Bruno Fernandes must be evaluated. He’s still a question mark; we don’t know. For the most part, though, I believe we are doing fine.
“Everyone has seen that he played the entire game, and it happened in the first half. It won’t be until Thursday, but we need to start planning today.
Tottenham enters the game in shock following Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of Newcastle, which resulted in Cristian Stellini, the interim head coach, being fired.
Ryan Mason has taken over as interim manager for Spurs after the 48-year-old, who took over after Antonio Conte, served less than a month at the helm.
Ten Hag is aware that Tottenham will be seeking to make atonement because United has had to recover from dismal defeats this season.
We occasionally have to bounce back, but we have some, he remarked. Undoubtedly (more than I would like), but great teams—even Real Madrid, eh?—experience this, don’t they?
Evidently, they suffered a disastrous loss. They are obviously furious after that. This could serve as motivation for recovering.
However, it concerns us. That is how we must approach the game since no one can possibly be as hungry as we are.
Make sure we are prepared to play aggressively, dominate, and control the game tomorrow.
Striker Harry Kane always manages to score for Spurs, no matter what the team’s problems may be.
The 29-year-old has scored 26 goals in all competitions this year and is getting ready to face a team that is hoping to sign him this summer.
Manager Ten Hag of United commented, “It’s quite obvious his impact on the game from Spurs.”
Of course, we have a strategy for that. We played extremely well at home, but we also need to have a very strong plan for tomorrow.
“You need to stand up for him as a group. Don’t let him enter any circumstances because he’s a cunning player. He might have a significant effect on the game.
Prior to their meeting on Thursday against top-four opponents, United are fourth in the Premier League.
With a victory in the capital, the Red Devils would make a significant step towards Champions League qualifying, since they have two games in hand on Spurs and a six-point advantage.
Ten Hag defined the significance of Thursday’s victory as “very (significant).” It becomes very evident once you view the table.
“However, our strategy won’t change. No matter who the opposition is, our strategy is to win every game.