'It can change everything' – Bruno Fernandes says consistency must be MU's focus

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes says consistency must be the Red Devils' main focus if they are to return to the top of the English game under Ruben Amorim.

United visit rivals Manchester City in their fourth game of the Premier League season on Saturday, having taken four points from their first three in a stuttering start.

United were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal on the opening day before playing out a 1-1 draw with Fulham, in which Fernandes fired a penalty over the crossbar.

Fernandes atoned from the spot in the 97th minute of United's last game, a 3-2 victory over Burnley that came three days after a humiliating EFL Cup exit at the hands of Grimsby Town. 

Fernandes has created the most chances in the Premier League this season so far, both overall (12) and from open play (eight). 

In an interview with BBC Sport, Fernandes said the most important factor for United moving forward will be maintaining steady levels of performance. 

"For 90 minutes, you have to be so consistent in everything you do. Sometimes it slips away from you, and it can change everything," Fernandes said.

"So I think consistency is the first thing, consistency in doing whatever you think is the best for the team, because that has to come first over everything. 

"You can't do anything without thinking of the team first. There's nothing more important than the team.

"You have to put yourself in the best position to help the team. And when I'm on the pitch, that's the thing that I have most in my head – to do my things will help the team to become better. 

"I have to be the most consistent and accurate player I can be, not with the ball, but also without the ball, and in things that you have to say to your team-mates when you want to change something position-wise. If little things change, it can go against you."

Fernandes has had his detractors since arriving in England in 2020, thanks primarily to his fiery nature on the pitch. 

But he is not concerned about others' opinions of him, saying: "People have an opinion about me, and I can't change that. 

"That's the way people want to judge you, based on what they see on the pitch or the television or interviews. 

"I can't change that. They have the freedom to think the way they want about me, as I have the freedom to think about them. I don't judge people until I know them.

" They can have an opinion about me, that's fine – we all have an opinion, and that's why life is so good and so different. If we all thought the same way, it would be so boring."