Bruno Fernandes puts positive spin on Newcastle thrashing - 'I prefer Man Utd losing this way'

Captain believes that dismal 4-1 loss to had a silver lining and some "personality." With the squad in disarray, continue languishing near the base camp in 14th, having won just 10 league fixtures all season.

The arrival of new boss hasn't seen a and they made the trip up to St. James's Park with one eye already on Thursday's home second leg against Lyon in the which is their last chance of redemption this term. A thrashing swiftly occurred, with Sandro Tonali opening the scoring before leveller was rebuked by a Harvey Barnes double and a late Bruno Guimaraes strike.

Despite club captain Fernandes was a man of optimism post-match, admitting that he preferred his side to lose, at least attempting to play their brand of football with personality and a straightforward ethos.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

"We had good moments in the first half. In the second half, we ended up making some mistakes. But I prefer to lose like this, trying to play, than to lose without trying," Fernandes told

"I think the team showed personality today. Obviously, losing 4-1 is not ideal, but we are starting to see more of what we want to be as a team and what we want to do.

"I think in the first half, we had great moments. In the second half, there was less ball possession, and we made mistakes that ended up costing us a lot."

The Magpies' last two goals saw United with only themselves to blame. Barnes' second came after a blunder from Noussair Mazraoui, and Guimaraes' sealer was a complete gift, as the deputising Altay Bayindir gave the ball away cheaply.

"The idea was to play out from the back, try to break the lines. Knowing that they mark man-to-man almost all over the pitch, we had to take those risks," said 30-year-old Fernandes on the mistakes.

"Unfortunately, at certain moments, we took risks, and that didn't work in our favour. It worked in Newcastle's favour. But we have to look ahead and focus on Thursday already because there's a big game at home."

With the league a lost cause, all eyes now turn to Lyon in Europe. The second leg at Old Trafford arrives with proceedings level at 2-2, and while Fernandes admits that every game is important, he emphasized Thursday evening.

"We are aware of our position in the table, which is not what we want," continued the Portuguese midfielder. "Obviously, thinking that it will be or could be the club's worst season doesn't help at all.

"So we have to focus on our objectives, and those that come next are the most important. Now we have a game, which is the most important one.

"Thursday is a special night in the Europa League. We want to move forward and be in the semi-finals. Together with our fans, I'm sure we'll create something special and achieve a good result."

and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our .