Questions emerged from United’s loss to City in their latest Manchester derby. One question asked… Should Bruno Fernandes be rested for the weekend’s FA Cup tie against Watford?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a bad night’s rest following his Carabao Cup exit at the hands of his noisy neighbours Manchester City. His team fought tooth and nail but were ultimately second best all night as they were masterly outplayed in the semi-finals, losing 2-0.
Now that they’ve exited the EFL Cup for the second consecutive season running, they must turn their attention to the FA Cup, their surprise Premier League title push, and the Europa League Round of 16.
The former is first on the fixture list with Watford travelling to Old Trafford for the cup tie on Saturday. Ole has already suffered to two cup exits, one being the Champions League and the other, the Carabao Cup.
When asked about resting players Ole said:
"Well, we go into every game wanting to win, of course we do. There will be a few changes, of course there will as it’s such a season that we have to.We have shown quality when we have had to do that before and we will make a few changes. I will see tomorrow [Thursday] morning who is fit and who is not fit and who is ready to go.He wants to play every game, Bruno. Of course, it’s a long season. Let’s see what team we come with on Saturday so I’ll have a chat with him about how he feels.(Via: manutd.com)"
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He cannot afford to squander the rest of his cup runs so they need to perform week in and week out. With this in mind, will the Norwegian rest his most influential player Bruno Fernandes this weekend? He has played almost every game, barely missing a beat in league and cup action.
Across all competitions, Fernandes has appeared 25 times for the Red Devils this season. He’s played all but one Premier League game (15), played every Champions League game (6), and had three features in the Carabao Cup.
Last season, after finally make his dream move to the Theatre of Dreams in the January transfer window, was more of the same where he rarely sat on the bench, featuring in almost every game for Manchester United. The Portuguese playmaker undoubtedly needs a break.
Why Bruno Fernandes should be rested?
The FA Cup is in the early stages and deserves many fresh faces to take the pitch for United. The more important clashes come thereafter. The trip to Turf Moor on the 12th is far more important to Ole and his team than the FA Cup at the moment.
Next week Tuesday they have a chance to overtake Liverpool in the league standings and go to Anfield the team leading the title race. The two oldest rivals and most successful clubs meet Sunday following the Burnley clash for a proper title showdown.
Him being rested for both Premier League outings could be the best thing for the squad. He can inject himself with the much-needed energy to deliver his A-game.