Manchester United’s first post-season friendly in Asia saw them succumb to a disappointing 0-1 defeat at the hands of ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday.
It was hot and humid, which could have taken a toll on the performance levels, especially given the Red Devils entered the contest on the back of a 60-game gruelling season.
But club captain Bruno Fernandes, who played in the second half refused to blame the conditions for the poor performance.
“Yeah, but it was for both sides,” he told MUTV (via MEN). “Obviously we’re not used to the humidity, the heat, but I don’t think that’s something that made any difference or whatever.”
Bruno Fernandes praises academy stars He was quick to praise the Academy stars for the impact they made and urged them to keep it up to catch Ruben Amorim’s eye ahead of pre-season.
At the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, it was the likes of Sekou Kone and Shea Lacey who impressed while senior stars like Rasmus Hojlund and Manuel Ugarte put in disappointing performances.
“We didn’t want to lose the game, but it’s an experience for us, an experience for the fans and it’s always nice to come out of the country to see the experience we can have with this club,” he said.
“A lot of young players getting their chance also and that’s a good experience too. They’ve always been training with us, most of them, so we know what to expect from them and we all know the academy is always creating young and exciting players. They all had the opportunity to show themselves tonight.”
Looking forward to Hong Kong friendly United will next be in action on Friday against Hong Kong and the 30-year-old said he was looking forward to putting on a show for the fans there and giving them joy after a difficult season.
He also pointed out how lucky he and his teammates were to see the kind of support the club enjoys in this part of the world.
“It’s now the case to enjoy the next experience in Hong Kong, to make the most of it, to enjoy our fans and give our time to give some signatures, take some photos and that’s the most we can do during this tour.
“It’s very nice to come here and experience this. I’ve always said coming worldwide with the club is massive and amazing.”
Feature image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
