Bruno Fernandes has issued a warning to his Manchester United teammates ahead of this weekend's Premier League opener against Leeds United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have enjoyed a productive pre-season campaign, which culminated in a 4-0 victory over Everton on Saturday - where Fernandes was on the scoresheet.
That game marked Fernandes ' first appearance for United in their preparations for the new campaign, with the midfielder having a late return to the squad following his exploits with Portugal at the European Championships.
A comfortable victory over Everton puts United on the right track ahead of this weekend's Premier League opener, which will be played in front of thousands of fans - something that has been a long-time coming following the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, Fernandes is eager for that opportunity, having enjoyed featuring in front of a 55,000-strong supporter base against Everton, but warned that this weekend's game is the real test.
“I’m feeling ready honestly. It was a good break for me, I enjoyed it. I’ve come back and had two weeks of training and I’m feeling fresh and ready to start the season," he told the club's official website.
“Of course, we know now that that game [Leeds] is the one that counts for the league. Today was about doing the right things, taking some minutes in the legs, start doing the right things and try to put in what we are training all week in Scotland.
“Now we have one more week to prepare for the game and we have to prepare well because it’s a different game, different intensity, different team, different way to play. We know what to expect and I hope we can have the same result as today.”
United will face Southampton and Wolves before the end of August, and the close of the transfer window, before tackling Newcastle United and West Ham to close their opening five matches of the campaign.
Solskjaer's side will find a difficult test lying ahead in a few months, with consecutive fixtures against Leicester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City from mid-October.
