Bruno Fernandes' mixed messages present Erik ten Hag with huge Manchester United decision

You certainly couldn’t blame Erik ten Hag if he was having any second thoughts about joining Manchester United at this stage. Saturday’s heavy defeat at the hands of Brighton once again highlighted the multitude of issues he’ll be facing when he arrives at Old Trafford in the summer.

With Ralf Rangnick lobbing more grenades with each passing interview, Ten Hag will have to be an expert firefighter if he’s to repair the damage caused over the past year or so. And this is more than just a case of signing a few players in the hope they’ll improve an underperforming side.

He has so many big decisions to make to cure what looks to be a toxic environment in the dressing room, with his choice of captain vital this summer.

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With Harry Maguire out of the side at the moment, Bruno Fernandes has taken the armband in recent outings, although there were no signs of his leadership having any effect in United’s latest humiliation on the south coast. He did his best though to try and give the air of a defiant leader after the defeat to Brighton.

"I don't want to talk about the future," he told Sky Sports. "We still have one game this season and we have to win.”

That might well have stirred something up in United fans, had they not heard the exact same player take a defeatist attitude at Anfield just over a fortnight ago. “Liverpool are fighting for the title. We are fighting for nothing. That is the difference,” Fernandes said after the 4-0 defeat to their old rivals – it’s worth remembering United were just three points off fourth heading into that game.

Fernandes’ comments are indicative of a club that are not only failing on the pitch, but off it as