Former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren has opened up on a time he clashed with Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes while they were both at the club.
McClaren was assistant to Erik ten Hag at United from mid-2022 until he departed at the end of the 2023-24 season. It was his second stint at the club, having previously held the position from 1999 to 2001 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
United struggled for success under Ten Hag, but McClaren left off his own accord three months before the Dutchman was relieved of his duties.
On the back of an illustrious career and CV that also saw him have an unsuccessful stint as England manager, McClaren was well respected by the players. And, in a new interview with The Athletic, he has spoken highly of Fernandes in particular.
But their time together didn’t come without friction. ‘We only clashed once,’ he said. ‘He didn’t clap the fans, so we had a bit of a row about that. I think it was Newcastle’s win, 3-0 at Old Trafford (in November 2023).
‘I was more upset with the team and the players. It was bad, but the next day we kissed and made up. He is excellent with fans 99 per cent of the time.’
Former Manchester United assistant manager Steve McClaren (right) has detailed a row he had with Bruno Fernandes (left)
He compared the Red Devils skipper to Roy Keane, who was known for his hot-headed play
He added: ‘I remember his first game at Old Trafford, he picked out long balls and diagonals. I thought, “missing link”. He wants to do everything. He’s really one of the top five players I’ve coached,’ he says.
‘He’s got scrolls of vision. I’ve seen things in training, you go, “Wow”. His attitude, his professionalism is first class. He’s first in, last away. Last on the pitch, doing shooting, practising all day to be better. His personality is great. At times, emotional.’
But that’s not a bad thing, according to McClaren. He compared Fernandes to Old Trafford legend Roy Keane, who was known for his hot-headed approach to games.
And that, McClaren believes, is what gives those players the edge.
‘We had one spell when we said to Roy, “You’ve got to calm down a bit”,’ he said. ‘Because it was beginning to be a problem. Through the trouble he got into, he used to miss five or six games a season.
‘He tried to calm down, and he was rubbish. So we said, “Forget that, be yourself, it’s all right, we’ll miss you for five games, don’t want you to be a pussycat on the field”.
McClaren worked under Erik ten Hag for two years, leaving months before he was sacked
‘And Bruno is the same. When I used to have to be the referee in training, he’s a nightmare. It’s just passion. He’s fit, he runs around, he scores, he assists, his numbers are phenomenal.’
United struggled generally under McClaren and Ten Hag, but did win the Carabao Cup and then the FA Cup in successive seasons.
Amid calls from fans to move Ten Hag on at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Dutchman was given an extension to his contract after beating local rivals Manchester City to FA Cup glory.
McClaren left at the end of that season – replaced by Ruud van Nistelrooy – and Ten Hag departed just three months later.
