Manchester United will not defend their FA Cup title after being eliminated by Fulham in the fifth round on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag led Manchester United to FA Cup triumph last season, securing victory against Manchester City in the final.
There will be no repeats this season as United lost to Fulham in a penalty shootout at Old Trafford.
Calvin Bassey put Fulham ahead by heading in a goal while United struggled to defend against a corner in the first half.
Bruno Fernandes brought United back on level terms, but neither team could score during extra time, leading to penalties.
Bernd Leno stopped shots from both Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, allowing Fulham to advance and eliminating United from the competition.
Bruno Fernandes on Harry Maguire
Ineos is eager for European football at United, but their path now heavily depends on achieving success in the Europa League.
Ruben Amorim has responded to Wayne Rooney, yet it was another frustrating afternoon for the United manager.
The upcoming trip to Real Sociedad in the Europa League is approaching rapidly.
One player who might be feeling worn out before the journey to Spain is defender Harry Maguire.
Maguire played for the full 90 minutes before being replaced by United’s January acquisition, Ayden Heaven.
The England international has been bearing a significant load in the early part of 2025, participating in every match throughout February.
As he began the first match of March, Maguire looked exhausted as Heaven stepped in for him.
In an interview with the official FA Cup account on X, captain Bruno Fernandes noted that Maguire was ‘very, very fatigued’ when he was substituted.
Bruno highlighted the heavy burden that United’s senior players are currently shouldering, referencing a ‘challenging’ schedule due to the injury issues plaguing the squad.
Bruno commended Heaven and Chido Obi for their impactful performances as substitutes but indicated that several players, including Victor Lindelof, Matthijs de Ligt, and Zirkzee, were feeling the effects of fatigue.
“It’s just tiredness from the game,” said Bruno.
“For the moment, obviously, we don’t have many players to play. We’ve been playing most of the games with the same players all the time and then it’s 120 minutes, it’s been tough.
“Today, you had to give an opportunity again to Chido, to Ayden. They did very well again for us, coming out from the bench.
“Obviously, you’ve seen H came off, he was very, very tired, Vic doesn’t play for a long time, Mata, he was running out of legs at the end, Josh also, because he wasn’t always starting and always playing 90 minutes, and now he’s been doing that for three, four games in a row, and obviously, you run out of legs,” he added.
Bruno Fernandes comments a concern for Thursday night
United’s list of injuries is quite extensive at the moment.
Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans, Altay Bayindir, Lisandro Martinez, Amad, Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer, and Tom Heaton are all sidelined.
This leaves Amorim with limited options, which is why players such as Bruno and Maguire are logging so many minutes.
Alan Shearer has commended striker Obi, but the 17-year-old may not be fully prepared for a significant role in the closing stages of the season.
This scenario is far from favorable for Amorim, and it doesn’t serve well for this week’s match against Real Sociedad.
It seems likely that Amorim will need to rely on many of the starting players who recently played substantial minutes against Fulham.
United can draw some motivation from Barcelona’s impressive 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday. La Real managed only 23% of the possession and did not register a single shot in a dismal loss prior to their match against United.
The upcoming encounter on Thursday may be a close contest, but Amorim will be optimistic that his team has the stamina to secure an important result in San Sebastian.