Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes believes the club will bounce back from this season's failings following Sunday's final day defeat to Crystal Palace.
United, who have announced that Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren have been installed as members of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff, brought a disastrous 2022/23 campaign to a close with a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park. Wilfried Zaha netted the only goal of the game against his former club, condemning United to a fourth defeat in their last six matches.
Despite being beaten at Selhurst Park, United, courtesy of West Ham United's 3-1 defeat to Brighton, held onto a Europa League spot, finishing sixth. However, it will be deemed as a failure for the club after investing so heavily in the squad last summer.
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Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo were all brought to the club in big-money deals, meaning United had aspirations of pushing for a top-four finish this season and competing for silverware. Instead, they have extended their trophy drought and finished sixth.
And Fernandes has accepted that the team have been nowhere near good enough. Nevertheless, he is confident that happier times are ahead.
On Instagram, Fernandes said: "Season over and none of our goals were accomplished. I know that individually and collectively it was not at the level that we should be.
"For all of our supporters, once again you have showed to me why this is one of the biggest clubs in the world and that is because even in seasons like that you keep being behind us. I have learned something really important since I came to the club and that is MANCHESTER UNITED always bounce back."
United, under the guidance of Ten Hag, will be desperate to make significant progress next season. The Dutchman is going to be expected to produce improvements, even if patience will be required.
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