Bruno Fernandes refuses to blame Europa League progress on West Ham defeat | OneFootball

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has rejected suggestions that the team’s recent European exploits contributed to their 2–0 home defeat against West Ham United on Sunday.

The loss marked West Ham’s first Premier League victory at Old Trafford since 2007 and left United perilously close to the relegation zone.

Despite securing a place in the Europa League final with a 7–1 aggregate win over Athletic Bilbao just days earlier, United delivered a lacklustre performance against the Hammers.

Goals from Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen condemned the hosts to their 17th league defeat of the season, extending their winless run to seven matches.

Fernandes, speaking after the match, dismissed the notion that squad rotation or fatigue from European fixtures were to blame. “No, it can’t make a difference because everyone has been training very hard, very well, so everyone is prepared to play at any moment,” he told MUTV.

“Every chance and every opportunity is a chance to get into the next 11... it doesn’t matter if you’ve been playing less or more.”

The Portuguese midfielder acknowledged United’s recurring issues this season, particularly their inability to capitalise on dominant spells. “We created enough opportunities to score goals and to be in front... then when you don’t score, you end up conceding,” he said. “It’s been happening a little bit a lot in this season for us.”

Coach Rúben Amorim made six changes to the starting lineup, aiming to balance the squad ahead of the upcoming Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur. However, the alterations failed to yield a positive result, leaving United 16th in the Premier League standings with only two matches remaining .

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