Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has praised Harry Maguire’s resilience, as Ruben Amorim’s side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fulham.
Maguire, who has played every game since February, lasted 90 minutes before being substituted for young defender Ayden Heaven in extra time.
United’s FA Cup defence ended at Old Trafford following a 1-1 draw, with Bernd Leno’s shootout saves proving decisive.
Fulham took the lead through Calvin Bassey, who finished from a first-half corner, before Fernandes equalised in the second half.
However, missed penalties from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee saw Fulham progress.
Speaking after the match, Fernandes admitted United’s relentless schedule is taking its toll.
He singled out Maguire’s heavy workload and also mentioned the fatigue affecting Lindelof, Matthijs de Ligt, and Zirkzee.
Despite the disappointment, he praised young substitutes Heaven and Chido Obi for their performances.
“It’s just tiredness from the game,” said Bruno.
“For the moment, obviously, we don’t have many players to play. We’ve been playing most of the games with the same players all the time and then it’s 120 minutes, it’s been tough.
“Today, you had to give an opportunity again to Chido, to Ayden. They did very well again for us, coming out from the bench.
“Obviously, you’ve seen H came off, he was very, very tired, Vic doesn’t play for a long time, Mata, he was running out of legs at the end, Josh also, because he wasn’t always starting and always playing 90 minutes, and now he’s been doing that for three, four games in a row, and obviously, you run out of legs.”
The loss adds more pressure to United’s season, with Ineos keen on securing European football.
With the FA Cup hopes over, the Europa League now presents the most realistic path to continental competition.
United must quickly shift focus to Thursday’s crucial Europa League clash against Real Sociedad.
