26 April 2023 , 11:33
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Bruno Fernandes will be given every chance to prove his fitness for Manchester United's top-four showdown at Tottenham on Thursday night.
Fernandes came off injured in the 101st minute of United's FA Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out win over Brighton at Wembley on Sunday. The playmaker was subsequently seen wearing a protective plastic boot on his right foot, in a picture posted to Instagram by his wife, Ana Pinho.
But Fernandes is now walking without the protective boot, with United boss Erik ten Hag saying he has not made a decision over whether the Portugal star can face Spurs.
“There are some players who are unavailable,” said Ten Hag. “Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. We have to see how Bruno Fernandes is, because we don't know yet. It's a question mark. But I think, for the rest, we are quite okay.”
Addressing the picture of Fernandes wearing the protective boot, Ten Hag said: “It's more often that with players, we protect them. It's prevention, but it has to settle down.
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“We have seen he played a full game and it happened in the first-half. But tomorrow is a quick turnaround, so we have to see what is possible.”
Ten Hag acknowledged United will be facing a Spurs team desperate to bounce back after their humiliating 6-1 defeat at Newcastle, which dented their top-four hopes.
“It was not so often that we had to bounce back,” said Ten Hag. “Iit happens with all the great teams, even Real Madrid, eh? It's obvious they had a really bad defeat, of course, and that they are mad, so that can be fuel for bouncing back.
Bruno Fernandes was forced off injured in Man Utd's FA Cup semi-final with Brighton (PA)“But it's about us. An opponent can never be more hungry than us. That's how we have to prepare for the game and make sure we go on the front foot, be dominant and dictate the game.”
Asked how significant the game is, in the race for a Champions League spot, Ten Hag said: “Very. You see the table. It's quite clear, but our approach will not change. Our approach is we want to win every game, it doesn't matter who the opponent is.”
On Tottenham's star striker Harry Kane, a United target this summer, Ten Hag said: “It's quite clear, his impact on the game for Spurs, we have a plan for that.
“In the home game [which United won 2-0] we did very well, so for tomorrow we need a very good plan as well. You have to defend as a team, he's a clever player, don't allow him to come into the situations, he can have a big impact on the game.”