Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has called on his teammates to raise their standards as the club undergoes sweeping off-field changes.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group has implemented a major restructuring since taking control, overseeing over 450 job cuts. The latest wave, totalling 200 redundancies, came at the end of last season and affected several long-serving employees, including members of the senior leadership team.
The moves are part of a wider strategy aimed at streamlining operations and bringing a new era of efficiency and competitiveness to the club.
Fernandes, aware of the internal upheaval and mounting pressure, has urged the squad to step up in honour of those affected.
On Sunday, United were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton in a pre-season friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
“Every small thing matters. At this football club, you cannot do anything wrong on or off the pitch because it is too big worldwide, and you get punished for that,” Fernandes told NBC Sports after the draw.
“You get the attention of the media, the attention from the fans, and you have to be aware of that. The culture of this club was winning. We need to bring that back.
“It’s not only the winning mentality that we need, but it is other things too that the club are trying to improve, like the facilities, the team, the staff and a lot of other things.
“A lot of people have suffered from this, and now it is time for us players to show it on the pitch.”
United returned to Carrington this week for final preparations ahead of the new season.
The last test of their pre-season campaign will come in a friendly against Fiorentina, a crucial opportunity for Erik ten Hag’s side to sharpen their form.
