Diogo Dalot defends Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes after Tottenham defeat

Diogo Dalot has jumped to Bruno Fernandes’ defence and backed the midfielder to return stronger after a difficult start to the season at Manchester United.

Fernandes took over the captain’s armband at United last summer and was one of the club’s few shining lights across an immensely disappointing 2023/24 campaign.

While United finished the season down in eighth place, their worst ever showing since the Premier Leagu’s inception, Fernandes contributed ten goals and eight assists before captaining the club to FA Cup glory in May.

But Fernandes is yet to find the net in what has been a sluggish start to the new campaign and the Portugal international was sent off in the side’s 3-0 capitulation at home to Tottenham last weekend.

However, the Old Trafford giants won their appeal against Fernandes’ controversial three-game ban, meaning the 30-year-old has been given the green light to face Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham.

He will also be desperate to play a part tomorrow evening when United do battle with Porto in the Europa League, which could be crucial if Erik ten Hag is to remain in the job.

‘It’s not because it’s in Portugal, it’s because it’s the next game,’ Dalot told A Bola when asked whether the match represents a ‘good opportunity’ for his fellow countryman Fernandes to ‘turn the page’.

‘Bruno sees things the same way that I do: we’re players who are constantly looking to improve, we’re demanding of ourselves.

‘He’s no different. He’s already shown that he can perform at a very high level, he knows there are ups and downs, but he manages to maintain a balance and knows that the moment will come.

‘The team needs him. We’ve already shown that we’re a very strong team when he’s doing well. There will always be bad moments, with him and with other players.

‘The question is how we get back on our feet and he’s already shown in the past that he has the ability to get back on track, so I have no doubt that he’ll be very useful in the near future.’

Dalot says United are approaching Thursday’s Europa League group-stage clash with his boyhood club Porto ‘as if it were a final’.

‘We have to approach it with energy,’ the United and Portugal defender added.

‘Unfortunately, it wasn’t the result or performance we wanted [against Tottenham], but the good thing about football is that, three days later, there is a new game and a new opportunity to show better things.

‘The game against Porto is perfect because it is the next one. We have to approach this game as if it were a final, because we’ll need points if we want to go through to the next round and we really want to win the competition.’

Ten Hag reportedly has two games to save his job and Dalot admits United’s players have no option but to ‘change our mindset quickly’ and turn the situation around.

He added: ‘It’s normal to go through a process of reflection because it shows the ability to calmly analyse what had been done, both good and bad.

‘But there’s a maximum period of 24 hours to switch off and start thinking about the next one. It’s almost like closing the game, especially because we don’t have much time.

‘If we continue to live with the previous result and don’t focus on the next game… they’re different games, different opponents, different challenges.

‘We have to change our mindset quickly to be in the best possible shape, physically and mentally.’

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