Manchester United meet Sevilla in the Europa League for the second time in three years and the Red Devils will be hoping to avoid the kind of dramatics that marred their last clash.
The last time these two sides faced off Sevilla ran out 2-1 winners in a game that saw Bruno Fernandes and teammate Victor Lindelof engage in a particularly heated exchange of words on the pitch in full view of everyone. Erik ten Hag knows his players must avoid similar bust-ups to stand any chance of progression.
Back then, United were under the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and things got off to a perfect start when Fernandes stepped up to convert a penalty in the ninth minute.
Unfortunately for the visitors, United opening the scoring seemed to spark Sevilla into life. The LaLiga outfit drastically upped the pressure and eventually forced their way back into the tie. Ex-Liverpool talent Suso started the comeback before Luuk de Jong netted a late winner to seal the fate of Solskjaer’s side.
It was in the aftermath of De Jong’s goal when tempers started to flare, as Fernandes laid into Lindelof and clearly blamed the defender for his part to play in failing to prevent the goal.
Sevilla held on for the win, but much of the post-match discourse was centred around Fernandes’ bust-up with Lindelof. However, the United midfielder did his best to try and play down the issue come full-time, having been inundated with questions over the incident.
“It is normal when you concede a goal, everyone was mad,” the ex-Sporting star claimed. “It was not about me or Victor, what happened is nothing. It was normal, it is about looking out for each other. It will happen in a lot more teams too.
“This thing will happen many more times in other teams. The most important thing now is seeing the mistakes we made and look forward to improving in the next games.”
Three years down the line and both of those involved remain United players, yet it is likely that only one of them features in Fernandes.
The 28-year-old is still a central figure to the way the Red Devils play under Ten Hag, but the same cannot be said for Lindelof.
He is now United’s fourth-choice central defender behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and even the much-maligned club captain Harry Maguire.
Regardless, both Fernandes and Lindelof will be aiming for revenge when Sevilla arrive at Old Trafford for the first leg of their quarter-final clash on Thursday.
Source: mirror.co.uk
