Manchester United fans have slammed “disrespectful” Barcelona boss Xavi for forgetting Bruno Fernandes’ name.
The Red Devils host the Catalan giants on Thursday (February 23) for the second leg of their Europa League play-off round tie following a 2-2 thriller in the opening encounter at the Camp Nou last week. Xavi spoke to The Times ahead of their trip to Old Trafford.
But Fernandes’ name seemed to slip his mind when discussing Erik ten Hag‘s impact on United, instead referring to him as “the Portuguese guy”. Xavi said: “He is very good, I like him a lot.
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“He has built a team and is getting the best out of all his players. That speaks well of him. Tactically he is very good and he handles the dressing room very well.
“He is getting all the talent out of his players. You see [Jadon] Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, the Portuguese guy and look how Fred is playing.”
Fans were less than impressed with the comment with one tweeting: “The disrespect Xavi has shown Bruno here… I hope the Portuguese guy scores tomorrow and celebrates in front of Xavi.”
What’s your score prediction for the second leg? Let us know in the comments section.
(Image: Rui Vieira/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
“The disrespect on Bruno. Xavi you’ll pay for your sins,” warned a second, while a third commented: “Nah Bruno disrespect from Xavi? We need to let him know who that Portuguese guy is tomorrow.”
A fourth wrote: “The absolute disrespect, he will show Xavi the door on Thursday.” And a fifth even went so far as to say: “Bruno is better than Xavi ever was idk why he’s tryna disrespect him.”
Ten Hag is hoping to be boosted by the returns of Harry Maguire and Antony, who were both back in training today. Maguire missed the 3-0 win against Leicester at the weekend with a knee issue, while Antony has been absent for the last four matches due to a leg injury.
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