Bruno Fernandes insisted that his teammates from Manchester United should take conviction of their victory over Aston Villa in next season after a disappointing campaign.
Fernandes gave the assist for the 76th minute opener of Amad Diallo, before Christian Eriksen, at his last performance for the club, sealed the victory from the penalty spot.
The Unai Emery team had Emiliano Martinez be sent in the first half of the stopping time, while Morgan Rogers had what he thought the opening goal was controversial.
Despite the victory, United will gladly see the back of this season. They finished 15th, their lowest end position in the Premier League, with only 42 points.
They also suffered 20 defeats in all competitions, their most in a season since losing 22 in 1973-74, in a season they were banned from the top flight.
Their last loss of the campaign came to the Europa League final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.
And Fernandes, who has been the striking performer of the Red Devils this season, praised his teammates for their response to Wednesday's crushing defeat.
“It wasn't just about Bilbao, but it was about the full season,” Fernandes told TNT Sports. “It was very disappointing for everyone, but the fans are in the first place.
“That is what I tried to convey for the game to my players. I just said to look around, see how special this place is and how happy we are to be here.
“We had a complete stadium after a disappointing season and Wednesday's disappointment. They tried to lift us up and be positive and give energy to the team.
“It was about giving a different picture in the last game of the season. Of course you play with a little more freedom and not busy because our position will not change much.
“I think everyone played a brilliant game and was very comfortable on the ball. This was a brilliant reaction and we have to bring this in next season.”
Fernandes enjoyed a nice individual campaign and registered 19 goals and 18 assists in all competitions this season.
Indeed, he helped 10 Premier League goals this season, the second time he has recorded that many assists or more in a single campaign (also 12 in 2020-21).
He is also the sixth United player who helped 10+ goals in two or more seasons, together with Eric Cantona, David Beckham (both four), Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney (both five) and Nani (two).
The Portugal International has been open this season about the struggles of his team, but repeated the feelings of Ruben Amorim, who gave a passionate speech after the conclusion of the game where he stood: “The brighter days are coming”.
“I spoke at the end of the game and that is what frustrates me the most. We can perform in this way against one of the most consistent teams in the competition,” Fernandes said.
“Aston Villa is a very difficult team to play against, very well organized, and then you can fix them, create opportunities and give nothing away.
“It is hard to understand that we could not do this all season, but I clearly understand that the pressure of playing for this club is enormous.
“Today we had a lot of freedom to enjoy it. We knew that we wanted to give something back to show the fans that we wanted to be better and wanted to be more successful.
“We want this conviction to start next season and, as the manager finally said, the clear days are coming.”