Eagle-eyed Manchester United fans spotted a classy message from Bruno Fernandes towards two of his club teammates after he shared footage of them in training.
Fernandes was made United skipper last summer after Harry Maguire was stripped of the capacity, with the Portuguese midfielder overseeing a mixed season so far.
The Red Devils struggled with their campaign in the Champions League and were dumped out of the competition after a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.
United’s Carabao Cup title defence was also cut short last November after a thumping 3-0 defeat to Newcastle at Old Trafford in the round of 16.
Fernandes has faced criticism this season over his role as captain, with even the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Ince questioning if he is the right man to lead United.
The 29-year-old United star has retained Erik ten Hag’s faith as club captain and Fernandes has continued to weather the storm from the criticism he has faced.
Fernandes’ message to United teammates
Ahead of the third-round FA Cup tie against Wigan, Fernandes shared footage on Instagram of him in training alongside Kobbie Mainoo and Hannibal Mejbri.
Mainoo has had a breakthrough season at United under Ten Hag and established himself in the first team after returning from an ankle injury that he sustained.
Hannibal, on the other hand, has made sporadic appearances for United this season and the 20-year-old midfielder is linked with a loan move away this month.
Fernandes’ post on his social media page showed him taking part in keepie uppies with fellow United teammates Mainoo and Hannibal.
The Portugal international later took to Instagram Stories and shared the same footage with his followers, only for fans to also spot a message from him as well.
“Me and my kids,” Fernandes wrote, tagging the Instagram handles of Mainoo and Hannibal alongside an emoji.
Ten Hag will need Fernandes for FA Cup
Ten Hag’s last real chance to fight for major silverware begins tonight when his United side travel to the DW Stadium for their third-round clash with Wigan.
The Dutchman will need Fernandes in top form as the Red Devils do everything in their power to avoid an FA Cup upset and progress to the next stage.
United are currently 14 points adrift from Premier League leaders Liverpool and are nine points outside of the top four after 20 matches played.
While a league title challenge is increasingly unrealistic, Ten Hag boldly insisted that the FA Cup is not the only piece of silverware his side are playing for this season.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: “We still have the Premier League, so we have two trophies to play for.
“We will play for the Premier League and for the FA Cup.”
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