Bruno Fernandes has told Erik ten Hag he will 'follow his rules' after the Manchester United boss consulted him about his game plan.
Ten Hag succeeded Ralf Rangnick earlier this summer and has been tasked with restoring United to their former glory. The Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League last term and haven't won a major trophy since their Europa League success five years ago.
The Dutchman will also need to get the best out of Fernandes. United's talisman scored 40 goals during his first 18 months at Old Trafford but managed just 10 last season. The Portuguese playmaker signed a new four-year contract three months ago.
"The coach asked me how I feel about the game plan, I told him that I had a coach at Sporting who came from Ajax," Fernandes told Sky Sports. "Very similar way of thinking and I had my best season with him. It's about following his rules and my game will come naturally."
Fernandes was referring to Marcel Keizer, who was in charge of Ajax for six months in 2017. The Dutchman won the Portuguese Cup and Portuguese League Cup at Sporting Lisbon during the 2018-19 campaign with Fernandes finding the back of the net 33 times.
The 46-cap international also described Ten Hag's style as "strict" but knows they need to be disciplined if they're to be successful. "He wants his rules, he demands a lot from us and he wants everyone on the same page doing the same things," added Fernandes.
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"Everyone knows they have to be pushing to the same side and if not, they will be out of the team. That's a good thing because if you want to be successful as a team you have to be always in the same way.
"He brings discipline but he also gives players the freedom to make choices. He has his own rules we have to follow, but he also wants to give some responsibility to the older ones. He's strict, he's tough, but at the same time, he's a nice and easy guy to chat to.
"The main thing is following what he wants because I think he has a straight line that he wants to have with the team and I want to follow that straight line because I think we can be successful that way.
"If everyone understands that we have to follow the rules, follow what the coach demands and what the team demands, everyone will be on the same page, so that's what will make the team successful. I think everyone will be happy at the end of the season if we can do everything he wants us to do."
Fernandes is also a fan of Ten Hag's "clear" philosophy. "He explains really well what he wants and he demands that so anyone not doing what he demands they know they will be punished," the player adds. "So I think when you talk about discipline, it's about that.
"He's very clear, so there's no way you can escape from that. Even if you don't understand English you can understand the way he wants to play, so I think that is really important for us. Nobody can get away with anything with him and the senior players have to play their part too, making sure that everyone is on the same page."
