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• Bruno Fernandes: Man United building something special under Erik ten Hag

  Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United are building something special under Erik ten Hag, who the skipper feels a debt of gratitude to having stood by him amid intense criticism following the Liverpool debacle.

  The meticulous Dutchman has helped drag the Old Trafford giants up from a low ebb, leading them back into the Champions League having won the Carabao Cup in his first season at the helm.

  Ten Hag now has the chance to end a positive campaign by completing a domestic cup double with a statement victory at Wembley, where United take on treble-chasing Manchester City on Saturday.

  The first all-Manchester FA Cup final promises to be a special occasion and one that Fernandes, set to skipper the side, believes can provide the catalyst for further success.

  “It is important for us, even to build,” the Portugal international told the PA news agency. “We are now building something we see can be special in the future.

  “Obviously I think if we win the FA Cup, it will give a little bit more belief that we can go into the next season and aim for bigger targets.”

  Fernandes, who signed a new deal at United towards the end of last season, said: “I want to win trophies at the club.

  “I spoke with the club before I signed that contract and said ‘I want to be successful with the club, but I need to make sure the club is going to be the right things and do things in a successful way’.

  “I think those steps are being done. We still need some things and I think we will have that. Not only with transfers but also in the dressing room with us stepping up more in moments that we needed it this season, but we didn’t.

  “Next season we will have learned so we need to do it better.”

  Fernandes’ drive and fiercely ambitious nature matches that of Ten Hag, who he credits for overseeing a “big improvement on the team mentality wise and quality wise”.

  “I said since the beginning of the season he demands a lot,” the playmaker said. “He wants to win. He wants to be in the position to win everything.

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  “He doesn’t hide that, he shows that, he passes the message through the players, so it makes you be always aware that you have to be at the best level as possible to play with him, to be part of the club.

  “He has made high demands for everyone to understand that we are in a big club and to be here we have to deserve to be here, we have to show that we deserve to be here.

  “And I think that he has been changing the mentality of everyone to not be relaxed, not be thinking that your place is guaranteed here.”

  Ten Hag has overseen a largely positive campaign, but there have been some ugly bumps in the road – no more so than March’s club record-equalling 7-0 defeat at arch-rivals Liverpool.

  That shellacking saw skipper Fernandes face scathing criticism from the likes of United greats Roy Keane and Gary Neville – a stinging assessment that led to a staunch defence by his manager.

  “I’m aware that he’s really happy with the way I train, the way I play, the way I show my emotions, the way I show my passion for the game,” the Portuguese said of Ten Hag.

  “He knows I care, that’s why probably sometimes it makes you do some things that you should not do.

  “But he knows that I will never do nothing to make the team look bad, my team-mates look bad, or making something that is not good for the team.

  “He knows that, so that’s why it protects me. That’s why he did that in that interview and many other times.

  “Whenever he thinks that he has to say something that he didn’t like to me, he has called me two or three times in his office and he said ‘look, we have to change this, we have to change this, I think you could do it in a different way’.

  “We had many conversations this season. He always called the players to talk with them, he has a lot of individual meetings with the players.

  “I think that’s good because he shows you the respect, he shows you the protection. But always with the demands behind that because obviously when you protect someone you want him to give you some back, so he can have his reasons to protect you.”

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  Captaining United to their first domestic cup double will certainly help repay Ten Hag’s backing and would mean a huge amount to the fans.

  Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1999 heroes are the only team to have won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same campaign, adding extra incentive – if any was needed – to Saturday’s encounter under the arch.

  “We are aware of this,” Fernandes said. “We know this. We know the story of our club and that the fans don’t want City to do that.

  “But for ourselves it is about lifting a trophy. The importance of this for us is winning another trophy, making sure we end the season in the best way possible.

  “We know if we win the trophy, the consequence of that is Man City cannot do the treble anymore.

  “But from the players’ side, it is just about winning the game because we want to win a trophy for ourselves, the club, the fans. That is it.”

• Premier League ‘appalled’ by abuse of referee Anthony Taylor at airport

  The Premier League has joined refereeing body PGMOL in condemning abuse directed at Anthony Taylor after video footage emerged of him being accosted by angry fans at Budapest Airport.

  Taylor and his family can be seen trying to evade a mob, who were shouting at him as he travelled home after refereeing Wednesday night’s Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla in the Hungarian capital.

  A Premier League spokesperson said it was “shocked and appalled by the abuse suffered by Taylor, whilst PGMOL described the incident as “unjustified and abhorrent”.

  The Premier League official was criticised for his performance in the final by Roma boss Jose Mourinho during his post-match press conference after the Italian side lost on penalties to Sevilla.

  And in video footage which later emerged on social media, the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager is seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying “disgrace”.

  In the incident at the airport, clips on Twitter show a chair and drinks being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group as they make their way through a gathering of Roma fans.

  A Premier League spokesperson said: “We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final.

  “No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday.

  “Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family.”

  The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in a statement on Thursday evening: “PGMOL is aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport.

  “We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final.

  “We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family.”

  UEFA is awaiting Taylor’s reports before deciding whether to take action against Mourinho for his rant.

  Taylor booked Mourinho during the game, which finished 1-1 after extra time before Sevilla sealed their seventh Europa League triumph by winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out.

  Tempers simmered on and off the pitch in a disappointing final, with 13 players shown yellow cards, seven of them to Roma players, while fourth official Michael Oliver had his work cut out to keep control of both dug-outs.

  The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes’ stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time.

  West Ham boss David Moyes condemned the treatment of Taylor as he prepares his side for Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague.

  “I didn’t see the game so I can’t comment on the game itself or the officiating,” Moyes said.

  “All referees have a really difficult job and shouldn’t be put through any difficult situations, which I heard about this morning. That’s not correct.”

• Messi has nothing left to prove and would be great for Saudi Arabia, says Nzonzi

  Lionel Messi has nothing left to prove in his career and there would be plenty for him to like about playing in Saudi Arabia, according to Steven Nzonzi.

  With his time at Paris Saint-Germain seemingly coming to an end after two years, Messi has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, where long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is already playing with Al-Nassr.

  The World Cup winner is also being courted by former club Barcelona in LaLiga, while he has often been connected with the possibility of finishing his career in the United States. 

  Messi, 35, has a big decision to make and Nzonzi, who has spent two seasons in the Middle East playing with Al-Rayyan in Qatar, knows a move would make a seismic impact on the region, with its reach stretching beyond football.

  With World Cup success for Argentina now secured, Nzonzi does not think Messi should feel any pressure to continue chasing the game's biggest honours, even if the prospect of a return to the "club of his heart" Barca may be appealing.

  Nzonzi told Stats Perform: "If you are Messi, I think that you have done everything in football, so you can do whatever you want and be fine with your decision.

  "You literally have nothing left to prove. It has been already years and years that he has had nothing left to prove – but now he just got the World Cup too.

  "So just an easy decision for him, I would say. Maybe not easy, because it's between Barcelona, the club of his heart, and Saudi Arabia, it might not be so easy, I don't know. 

  "But in any case, it would be great for Saudi Arabia if you go there for sure. You [would] have [Cristiano Ronaldo] and Messi, the most famous and two of the best players in the world ever. It's great for the Middle East, for Saudi Arabia and for football in general.

  "Of course, [with] a player like Ronaldo going into a league like Saudi Arabia, it's going to boost the league, it’s going to boost the Middle East as well, because it's the whole area that can be impacted by this."

  Nzonzi, who won the Europa League during a three-year stay with Sevilla that saw him regularly do battle with Messi at Barca, acknowledges the new league would take some getting used to for the forward after playing at the top level for so long, but thinks the lifestyle has plenty to offer.

  Asked about playing in the Middle East, he added: "I've been there, I've stayed there two seasons. It was good, it was challenging, because we're always trying to change.

  "It is a big change when you’ve been playing at a high level for a long period of time. I was happy to live there. You know, the lifestyle is great. And the football is good, too.

  "You learn in any experience, you learn. And that was the most important thing for me, to keep learning to keep helping other players if I can and keep doing my job. That's what I enjoyed the most."

  Despite being unable to help PSG to what remains an elusive Champions League triumph, Messi has been productive in winning Ligue 1 twice. 

  This season he has 32 goal involvements (16 goals and 16 assists) in 31 top-flight matches, with Saturday's contest at home to Clermont still to come.

  Ronaldo and Al- Nassr, meanwhile, sit second in the Saudi Pro League. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has scored 14 goals in 16 league appearances.