ERIK TEN HAG heaped praise on Bruno Fernandes after he switched to the right-hand side in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Red Devils boss, 53, made the decision to put Fernandes, 28, on the flank and play Marcel Sabitzer through the middle behind Marcus Rashford.
And the plan worked as Fernandes produced a number of dangerous crosses which troubled the Villa defence.
He also bundled the ball home from a right-sided position, following up Rashford’s effort to give United a first-half lead.
It proved to be the only goal of the game – Fernandes’ 11th of the season – with Man Utd taking a huge step towards securing a top-four place.
And Ten Hag was glowing in his post-match assessment.
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Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “A good three points but I think an impressive performance from Manchester United. We were magnificent on the ball, had good possesion and pressed well.
“In the second half you want to go 2-0 ahead but we didn’t so it’s always going to be a tough finish.
“[Victor Lindelof] played brilliant. He was totally in control in the area around [Ollie] Watkins.
“Bruno [Fernandes] had another great game. The plan was to play him from the right to make runs behind and he did that so well. I think our plan worked very well.”
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United now sit seven points clear of fifth-place Liverpool having played one game fewer.
Their run-in contains games against Brighton, West Ham, Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham.
They then face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on June 3.
And Ten Hag is happy with the position his side find themselves in heading into the final month of the season.
He added: “We look from game to game and next we have Brighton so we need to work hard again.
“We need to show passion again and not worry about the table.
“We are totally in control [in the race for top four], it’s all about us and it’s in our hands.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
