Bruno Fernandes praised Donny van de Beek's performance against Liverpool after the Netherlands international started ahead of him in the FA Cup tie.
Van de Beek was given a rare opportunity to impress in the absence of Fernandes and he looked lively before being replaced by the Portuguese playmaker with the game tied at 2-2.
Fernandes came on to have an impact, firing in the winner to send United through to the fifth round after a thrilling FA Cup tie.
But Fernandes felt the performance in an entertaining game was a sign of the strength in the United squad and he was impressed with Van de Beek's movement, watching him closely before replacing the Dutchman.
“We have a really good squad and we have options. If you look at the bench and the first XI today and the ones at home we have a really good squad, it will not be a problem if we change the team or someone is tired because we have really good players," Fernandes told MUTV.
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“Donny did a great game, playing in the position I play watching him he moves really good, he played really well. It's important for us. If I was in the position of Donny I would not be happy at all but the most important is doing what he does today, coming in and helping the team.”
Fernandes' winner sets up a fifth-round tie with West Ham at Old Trafford and while the 26-year-old admits the Premier League is the holy grail this season, he wants to win as much as possible with United.
“They’re all important [competitions] for us, we have to go in the same way whatever the competition," he said. "We play in them all to win. Everyone knows winning the league is more special but for us players, it’s about winning trophies and this is a trophy we want to win."
