Bruno Fernandes claims he’ll be ‘unhappy’ if he doesn’t play every single minute for Man United

Bruno Fernandes has told Erik ten Hag that he will be “unhappy” if he does not play every minute for Manchester United despite the club’s packed fixture list in February and the arrival of Marcel Sabitzer.

United face eight games this month that will end with a trip to Wembley in the Carabao Cup final following their 5-0 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Ten Hag will have to manage his squad carefully to cope with the heavy demands, but Fernandes insists he doesn’t want to rest.

“I’ll be unhappy if I don’t start, if I don’t play 90 minutes, the manager knows that,” said Fernandes, who has played in 31 of United’s 33 games so far this season.

“I am in top form, I am available for the team and do what you have to do, there is no problem.” Not just me, but everyone wants to play a full 90 minutes in every game.

“Obviously we all know that there are players who need more rest than others, but I feel good.

“I feel good, but whenever the manager thinks he needs to rest, like the last game I played in the FA Cup, he will decide and I will accept it because we have to be in the best shape every game and he has to decide what is the best for the team.

United signed Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day to make up for Christian Eriksen’s absence until early May with an ankle injury.

Sabitzer can play various positions in midfield and attack, and Fernandes is aware that the Austrian will bring additional competition for places.

“He’s a good player, a really good midfielder,” said the Portugal playmaker. “He will give us more options in midfield while Christian is injured. He is another one who is going to make it difficult for everyone on the team to have a place.

“Even for him, he knows that he has to push himself at the highest level to play for us now and all those who are starting, for example Casemiro and Fred, we know that it costs a lot to have a place in the team and we have another fighting for that position. so we have to do our best.’

United also welcomed Jadon Sancho against Forest for the first time in over three months, and Fernandes will be hoping to see the best of the England winger who has struggled for form and fitness since his £73m transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

He added: “It’s great to have him back because we know he’s a great solution for us, as a starter, as someone who comes in and has great qualities to help the team.”

We all know the capacity it has. He still hasn’t expressed it at his best, he has been very good at times. Obviously, he’s now back from a long stint, but we’re very happy to have him back.”

United will hope to lift their first trophy in six years when they face Newcastle in the Wembley final, and they continue to compete in four competitions.

It’s a stark contrast to the same week last year when the FA Cup loss to Middlesbrough on penalties at Old Trafford ended the club’s last realistic chance of winning a trophy.

Fernandes compared the difference in mood and said: ‘Everything had to change. I think last year was about trust.

‘You win one game, lose another, draw another. You never get that winning streak that gave you the confidence to keep going and push yourself to do your best.

“We had a bad feeling that any moment of the game could go against us: a corner, a shot, some moment. Confidence was low and that creates uncertainty.

“Obviously, I think the main thing this season was the results. We started to get into the manager’s ideas. The new players that have come, they come to help. The ones that were here before are gaining more confidence because they win games.’