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Man Utd's Fernandes mentions Arsenal loanee Pepe in comments about adapting to Premier League

Bruno Fernandes fired back at criticism him by using Nicolas Pepe as an example to argue he gets held to a higher standard than most players.

Fernandes fires back at naysayers
Midfielder has been criticised for complaining
Pepe used as example about adapting to league

WHAT HAPPENED? Fernandes noted that pundits usually say that players need "one or two years" to adapt to the Premier League, but he was given little time as he scored 28 goals in all competitions in his first full season.

WHAT THEY SAID:“He [Pepe] had some bad games and everyone was saying, ‘He still has to adapt’,” Fernandes told The Athletic, “but when Bruno was having a bad game, it was just because he was moaning or not focused on the game. For me, that was good, because it meant that I was ready and that’s why they were demanding so much from me.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Fernandes saw his goalscoring numbers dip in 2021-22, scoring just 10 times in all competitions. This season, he has just one in eight games for Manchester United, though he's gotten to captain the team after Erik ten Hag dropped Harry Maguire.

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