Bruno Fernandes has warned his Manchester United team-mates that they must bounce back when they take on Manchester City this weekend following their stalemate with Watford on Saturday.
The Red Devils were held to a frustrating goalless draw at Old Trafford by the Hornets on Saturday afternoon as they failed to find the net and dropped further points in the race for Champions League qualification.
Saturday’s draw left Manchester United in fourth place in the table but they could be caught by the teams behind them if their rivals win their various games in hand.
Manchester United will now switch their focus towards their preparations for their crunch showdown with Manchester City at The Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
And Red Devils playmaker Fernandes has talked up the importance of Ralf Rangnick’s men responding to Saturday’s draw with a strong performance against their derby rivals.
Speaking to MUTV after Saturday’s draw with Watford, Fernandes said: “We tried [to find the net] but the ball seemed to bounce off every player, our players, their players.
“As I’ve said before it was just one of those days where the ball wouldn’t go in. Unfortunately for us it was just one point.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash with City, Fernandes added: “It’s one of those games where we know what it means for the city, for the fans, for the club and for ourselves.
“It’s a game we want to win at all costs.”
Meanwhile, Red Devils interim boss Rangnick insisted that there were plenty of positives for his side to take from Saturday’s game despite their failure to get a win.
“We did everything apart from scoring,” Rangnick said. “We have to take the result, it is difficult to win the game.
“We were in full control for almost the whole game, they had hardly any counter attacks apart from the last five minutes. Apart from that, we were in total control of the game.”
Manchester United will take on Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC in their next three Premier League games.