Bruno Fernandes led Manchester United out onto the Wembley turf on Sunday afternoon as he looked to guide his side to a second trophy for the season.
United’s trophy haul ended at one, however, with Manchester City edging closer to a treble after a not-so-tight affair at Wembley, despite whatever the scoreline may suggest.
Fernandes has been one of the pillars of the team under Ten Hag this season but he was unable to stop his side from succumbing to a devastating defeat in the final.
Speaking after the game, the stand-in skipper opened up on how the defeat has affected the side post-match and what’s in the pipeline as preparations for next year begin.
“Everyone is down and it’s really difficult. We wanted to end the season in a different way but it wasn’t possible,” Fernandes is quoted as saying by the BBC.
“We’ve made big steps for next season, it wasn’t a successful season overall but it was a good one. We have come back next season and try to win bigger trophies.
“We came back into the game, we started badly but came back into it and had good spells on the ball in the first half.
“After we scored, we had some good counters but didn’t score. We conceded early in the second half and then still had other chances but we didn’t and City deserved the win.
“We were too soft and gave up too much space for the first goal but it’s an amazing strike. If players are tighter then maybe they can stop it but it’s an amazing strike.
“He’s [Gundogan] an amazing player and one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
“Our fans have been great all season and they deserved a different result today. We’re disappointed that we couldn’t give fans the joy they deserve. We are grateful for everything they have done this season. I promise we will come and try again next season.”
The players and staff are now expected to go on a three-week vacation before making their way back to Manchester for the pre-season tour.
Ten Hag will be hoping to have added a couple of players to his squad by then, with some players also expected to depart the club on permanent deals.
Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford but as things stand, a transfer is not believed to be imminent.
