Bruno Fernandes has revealed Manchester United team-mate Shea Lacey was under his tutelage when he was completing his coaching badges.
Fernandes did his UEFA B diploma through United, along with Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic, and said he coached United starlet Lacey when the now 19-year-old was in the club’s Under-14 side.
‘His technical ability was never in doubt,’ Fernandes told the Men in Blazers Media Network.
‘I often joke with him because I coached him when I was taking my coaching badges, and I remember he was in the U14 team then.
‘So, Juan Mata and I basically coached him for a day. I told him he’s much better now than he was at 14. He is much more mature, doing very well.
‘I think what they all need they want to be part of the team and play for the team is to treat every training session like a game.’
Bruno Fernandes has revealed he coached Shea Lacey when he was doing his badges
Lacey made his debut for the United first team against Aston Villa in December and was a second-half substitute in the shock 2-0 defeat by Hull on Saturday.
He has been widely tipped for success at Old Trafford and captain Fernandes believes the team have already seen a different player compared to the star who broke through last season.
‘I think Shea Lacey came with a completely different mentality this season in terms of movement off the ball,’ added Fernandes.
‘I think that’s great, and it’s what I talked to him about after returning from vacation, because I watched their three games. He plays in the same position as me, which requires a high level of running and emotional intelligence in covering space and assisting teammates in attack, and he has done very well.’
Fernandes was this week crowned PFA Player of the Year after a stellar campaign at Old Trafford, which included breaking the Premier League assists record.
The 31-year-old has spent six and a half years in England after moving to United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
Asked whether there was anything Mancunian about him now, he said: ‘I would say not much.
‘The only thing is that I now really like going to coffee shops. To be honest, I used to go in Portugal, but only for breakfast. Now, at any time of day, I can go for a coffee, which I wasn’t used to doing.
The Man United captain was speaking in an interview on the Men in Blazers Media Network
‘I still don’t drink English black tea; I can’t mix water with milk, sorry, and then tea. That’s not for me yet. But Tom Heaton always has a cup of tea in his hand at any time of day. But if he calls me for a coffee I will always go. Maybe not tea, maybe a cappuccino, maybe another kind, like a latte, I don’t know, but not English tea yet!’
United will aim to bounce back from the loss at Hull when they face another newly-promoted team in Ipswich at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Fernandes fumed at his team-mates after the 2-0 reverse at the MKM Stadium, blasting the side for making the ‘same mistakes as last season’.
The comments prompted ex-United midfielder Paul Scholes to tell the Portuguese midfielder he ‘needs to keep his mouth shut’.
