Erik ten Hag has refuted the notion that Manchester United are grappling with a discipline issue, following Bruno Fernandes' second red card in consecutive matches against Porto on Thursday. This comes after Fernandes received a red card against Tottenham on Sunday, which was later overturned by the Football Association upon appeal.
Fernandes' dismissal in the 3-0 loss to Spurs was due to a straight red card. United also accumulated five yellow cards during the Old Trafford clash, with their captain receiving two more in the midweek fixture in Portugal, both for high boots. The second of these was on central defender Nehuén Pérez as Fernandes tried to connect with a cross near Porto's goal, with United trailing 3-2 in a Europa League game that eventually ended in a 3-3 draw thanks to Harry Maguire's stoppage-time header.
"The [red] card [against Spurs] is overturned for Bruno. So they acknowledge there was a mistake on Sunday and I would say he was very unlucky against Porto," Ten Hag stated. "He gave everything to make a goal. He was in the right spot, and the player came from the blind side and he didn't see him. So I wouldn't address it as undisciplined." United raced to an early two-goal lead at the Estádio do Dragão through goals from Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund but conceded twice, to Pepê and Samu, within seven first-half minutes. Ten Hag was questioned if this indicated a structural indiscipline. "We have to improve this, for sure," the manager acknowledged. "But also, we can say we are very disciplined, for instance, in the first 25 minutes in our positioning and how we created the chances in the right moment. We speeded up the game. So I would not only address it as undisciplined, but definitely we can improve. So yeah, we will work on this, definitely." United conceded a second Samu goal five minutes into the second half before Maguire, having come on as a substitute, rescued a point late on. Afterwards, the defender pointed out that allowing a two-goal lead to slip was indicative of a mentality issue within the squad. "What is the mental issue?" Ten Hag asked. "There is a range, a spectrum of topics and you have to address it right. So this team has the belief that they don't give up. So they have that range of positive mentality and have a strong mentality. But in some other parts, they have to step up." United are set to face Aston Villa on Sunday with Ten Hag's position still under scrutiny. He believes time is essential for the team's development and cited the recent arrival of Manuel Ugarte, an unused substitute against Porto, as an example. "So the 6 position was one we wanted to sign for this season, but he needs time to integrate," Ten Hag said of Ugarte. "I know in top football you don't get time, they have to perform immediately, but that's not always realistic. He has to get used to our game model, to his teammates, to the intensity of the Premier League." Ten Hag also highlighted the return of Rasmus Højlund, who was unable to play in the first two months of the season. "Hopefully he is now fit. He keeps improving in his fitness levels and if he has a consistent fit season that will help us," Ten Hag added. "There are more areas where we will improve, definitely. And then we will see where we will end at the end of the season." Ten Hag dismissed questions about his position at the club, stating, "I'm not thinking about such issues because that is not a topic. We are in this together. The ownership, the leadership, the team, the staff." Kobbie Mainoo did not travel to Porto due to injury and remains doubtful for the trip to Villa Park. "We have to wait and we have to see if he can play on Sunday," Ten Hag said. "If he's fit enough to start or be on the bench."
