Manchester United superstar Bruno Fernandes has warned his team they "can't just only focus on the Europa League final" after West Ham claimed a painful 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
United were beaten for the 17th time in the Premier League this season, as goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen helped the Hammers leapfrog the Red Devils in the table.
Ruben Amorim's side have slid to 16th, although their upcoming opponents in the Europa League final, Tottenham Hotspur, are even worse off in 17th. Spurs' 2-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend was their 20th league defeat of a miserable campaign, only partly masked by their continental success.
While United have been woeful, they'd be far worse off if it wasn't for Fernandes, who's produced an outstanding campaign at the Theatre of Dreams. He's recorded 18 Premier League goal contributions and another 12 in the Europa League, and now the United captain has called upon his team to finish the domestic season on a positive note.
"It's difficult to explain," Fernandes told Sky Sports (via Manchester Evening News) after Sunday's defeat to West Ham. "Everyone wants to score goals. It's not been our season to get the goals in."
The Red Devils were wasteful in their most recent defeat, and a more clinical edge has been key to their success in Europe. After downing Lyon 7-6 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, Amorim's men downed Athletic Club 7-1 over two legs to reach the final.
"We have to improve in that. We have to be much better. And we have to be more aggressive," Fernades added.
"We had two games, we have one more game. We can't just only focus on the Europa League final. We have to put maximum effort on every game.
"Any points in the Premier League at this moment for us will be massive."
United will finish with their lowest points tally since the Premier League's inception, and can only amass a measly maximum 45 with two games remaining. They face Champions League hopefuls Chelsea and Aston Villa on either side of the final in Bilbao, so notching six more points looks unlikely.
Despite Fernandes' comments, all eyes are on their upcoming duel with Spurs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bruno Fernandes Fires Europa League Final Warning to Man Utd.
