Fernandes hammers Man Utd stars (including himself) and Mbappe ‘could ruin’ Ten Hag plans

Fernandes has laid into Mount. And Maguire. And every other teammate. And himself. Along with Mbappe ‘ruining’ plans, it’s not a great time for Man Utd.

We don’t talk about Bruno
‘Bruno Fernandes names SEVEN Man Utd players with “point to prove” this season’ is an eye-catching headline from the Daily Mirror website, ticking all manner of boxes:

Man Utd? Boom.

Man Utd’s captain digging his teammates out? Result.

A number? Get in.

A CAPITALISED number? Doesn’t get much better.

It is weird that no other properly established outlet has done a similar story but the Mirror are absolute masters at this and know precisely where to look.

Or they have absolutely no shame and decided they would completely ignore what Fernandes actually said as soon as he named a few teammates.

READ MORE: Man Utd star ‘not ready to bury the hatchet’ with Neville and will snub ‘interviews’

The Portuguese was asked what to expect from new signing Mason Mount, you see, and answered thus:

He has a point to prove, like everyone else. I have a point to prove. So does Licha [Lisandro Martinez], Casemiro, Rapha [Varane], Andre [Onana], Harry [Maguire] and Victor [Lindelof]. It’s not about him [Mount]. He doesn’t have to prove anything more than anyone else.

It turns out that Fernandes was just listing random players off the top of his head – including himself – to get the rather obvious point across that Man Utd want to build on last season and do better.

The bloke literally says that “everyone” has “a point to prove” at Man Utd. That he went on to name six other players is immaterial. It’s cliched captaincy speak, sure, but absolutely not what the Mirror are trying to sell it as.

Maguire practice
Same goes for you, Daily Express website…

Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes calls out Harry Maguire and six more team-mates

…and talkSPORT…

Bruno Fernandes names seven Manchester United teammates who have point to prove including Harry Maguire

Great fun to join the Maguire pile-on, though, isn’t it?

Kylian me softly
The Liverpool Echo have somehow found an even clickier set of criteria: Kylian Mbappe, Man Utd, Liverpool, transfers and plans being ruined.

Alternatively, when put through their never-ending headline machine:

Kylian Mbappe could ruin Man United transfer as race for Liverpool target intensifies

It’s more than a little convenient that the most newsworthy footballer can be tied to two clubs with the biggest online fanbases, but they’re clearly on to something.

‘Signing a No.9 is the clear priority for United during the off-season and therefore Hojlund is top of the Old Trafford shopping list,’ we are told. ‘It is also claimed that United will face competition from Paris Saint-Germain, who could lose Kylian Mbappe this summer after the forward was left out of their pre-season tour.’

And that right there is precisely how ‘Kylian Mbappe could ruin Man United transfer’ – because if he leaves PSG then the French champions will try to sign Hojlund. Even though it was widely reported on Thursday that PSG had already made a bid for Hojlund.

PSG ‘could lose’ Mbappe is a weird way of saying they have made him available for transfer and literally already accepted an offer this summer, by the way. PSG are already trying to sign Hojlund because they want rid of Mbappe; they won’t just try to sign him if Mbappe is sold. So how exactly could the Frenchman ‘ruin’ Man Utd’s hopes of getting Hojlund?

The ‘as race for Liverpool target intensifies’ bit in the headline is your standard conflation with an entirely unrelated Sofyan Amrabat update, combining to turn a nonsense story into a click factory. Well played.

READ MORE: Chelsea demand Mbappe ‘hunger’, anti-French Klopp: why each Prem club won’t sign PSG star

Marc of the man
It is becoming more than a little boring to keep reading the same nonsense about Marcus Rashford’s views on playing as a centre-forward.

So here’s to you…

‘Marcus Rashford may not thank Erik ten Hag for plan to help Rasmus Hojlund at Man Utd’ – Daily Mirror website.

‘Marcus Rashford has highlighted an issue with Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund transfer plan’ – Manchester Evening News.

‘Man Utd devise Marcus Rashford plan as Erik ten Hag plots £60m Rasmus Hojlund deal’ – Daily Express website.

Once more for the people in the back: the bloke literally said of playing more centrally that, “I feel like as I’ve got older I’m starting to enjoy it a little bit more when I do play there”. This upcoming season, much like pretty much every season since he broke into the Man Utd first team, will be spent predominantly as a left-winger who can be used as a centre-forward. And Rashford will have no problem with that if his manager asks it of him.

Rasball
Then there is the Daily Express website, who struggle to see the slight issues in this story:

Man Utd have perfect £50m alternative to Rasmus Hojlund who is Premier League proven

Can Ivan Toney really be considered a ‘perfect £50m alternative’ when he is suspended until January and Man Utd quite desperately need a striker now?

Bold eagle
‘Al-Ettifaq make bold early Jordan Henderson decision after Liverpool transfer’ – Liverpool Echo.

Reckon it would be far ‘bolder’ to not to name a multiple trophy winner earning more than the rest of the squad combined as captain, to be honest.

Phil in the blanks
‘Phil Foden reveals England dream and hints at shock position change under Pep Guardiola at Man City in 2023-24’ – The Sun website.

That ‘shock position change’ could see Foden play centrally. Which is where Foden played growing up, where Guardiola has frequently suggested he will move soon, where Kevin de Bruyne said “eventually he will end up playing” in October and where Foden played for much of an actual Champions League final win as a substitute.

It’s hardly him being moved to left-back, is it?

Give a little respect
Mediawatch was not expecting ground-breaking journalism from a Sun website feature with this risible headline:

Meet Man Utd target Rasmus Hojlund’s stunning Wag Laura who goes to his games and enjoys amazing holidays

But among the worst sentences ever committed to print must be this absolute doozy:

Like any self-respecting Wag, Laura embraces travel.

Good lord. Also: well done, she’s 19.