Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton in their final tour game of the summer, with Bruno Fernandes left far from impressed by his side's display
07:35, 04 Aug 2025Updated 07:41, 04 Aug 2025
Bruno Fernandes expects better from Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes expects better from Manchester United(Image: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes accused Manchester United of being "lazy" in their final tour match and insisted they must bring in more signings before the new season kicks off.
United secured a 2-2 draw with Everton at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to claim the Premier League Summer Series, having previously beaten West Ham and Bournemouth. Fernandes, who featured for the entire 90 minutes, netted the opener from the penalty spot.
But Ruben Amorim's team surrendered their advantage twice, prompting a frank assessment from the captain. "It's improving, but it's not where we want it to be," said Fernandes. "It's a game of football, there's always passion there. Whatever happens, happens. There was nothing spicy there, it's normal, it is part of the game.
"It's been positive [the US tour] and it's good to create a bond with the players. We looked a bit lazy today and we need to change that.
"I don't want to have a dig at anyone, but I think the club is doing the best they can in terms of all the financial situations they talk about. I don't know about it, I'm not involved in that.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United holds the Summer Series League trophy(Image: Todd Kirkland - Premier League/Getty Images)
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"But obviously it was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here.", reports the Mirror.
"We needed more quality to get everyone to step up a bit more and to have more to do to get into the starting line-up. I think that's what the club and the manager are trying to do and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that."
United concluded last season in 15th position, their worst showing for half a century, with Fernandes acknowledging that a shift in attitude and mindset was essential following such a disappointing campaign.
"It's every detail, every small detail matters," said Fernandes. "At this football club you can't do anything wrong on the pitch and off the pitch, because it's too big worldwide and you get punished by that.
"You get the attention of the media and your fans and you have to be aware of that. At this club the culture here was winning and we need to bring that back.
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"Not only the winning mentality that we need, and I think that's always been there, but obviously if you don't win you don't show it.
"The club is trying to improve other things, the facilities have improved, we tried to improve the team, the staff, a lot of things. A lot of people have suffered from this, a lot of people who had been working at the club for many, many years had to go.
"The fans are paying more for tickets and we appreciate all the effort they put in for us so now it's up to us to pay it back on the pitch."
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Amorim revealed he appreciated such candid remarks from Fernandes and believed it demonstrated his captain's awareness that significant work remains before United can compete for major honours again.
"I'm happy for the players to have that feeling," said Amorim. "It's saying that they understand the situation. So it's a good feeling.
"It's understanding that in this club, everything is ups and downs. We understand that, but I prefer that feeling [the ups] than the other side."