Bruno Fernandes thought introducing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' at Old Trafford would help the atmosphere. United began to play John Denver’s famous song shortly before kick-off at Old Trafford at the beginning of the season, and there have been some rousing renditions in its first year. The track was released in 1971 and has been an anthem for fans for decades, but the decision to play it directly before kick-off has helped atmosphere at Old Trafford. “Take me home, United Road, to the place, I belong. To Old Trafford, to see United, take me home, United Road," are the adapted lyrics. Fernandes played a crucial role in changing the pre-match stadium playlist for this season. The 30-year-old believed it would help the atmosphere at Old Trafford and consulted the dressing room on introducing the song, as he explained in a recent club-organised Q&A with fans. Fernandes said: “I think it's a song that everyone knows in the dressing room, so it's a popular song for us in the dressing room, and the understanding we had from the outside was that it's one of the most popular songs for the club. I think the lyrics, at home, work well, so everything together, we thought it would be a good thing. “Obviously, we don't want to make it as something we do because other teams do it, but we felt it's something that the players... we spoke with certain players and said 'what do you think about this, how would you feel about having this before the game, would it give you a push, lift you a little bit, what are your thoughts?' “For example, in Portugal, it is very natural that everyone has their own song, we call it an anthem. Everyone puts the song before the game starts and, as the referee whistles, they put the song down and the fans carry on singing. I was watching the Sporting game the other night and they didn't even end up singing the song, because Sporting scored after 50 seconds! “But it's a moment where every fan lifts up. Everyone in the stadium feels that song very much and it's a song that resembles the United history as well. It was little mix of things that we thought might be a good thing to try.” Fernandes was asked about the importance of embracing the chant and not relying on the music, and added: “Our main thing in the beginning was that we don't want the song to be on by itself, we want the fans to get that. We put the song on, it starts and then the fans can carry on, we don't need the song to be there. “We don't need to be the loudest, it's a moment of union between the team and the fans, because it's a song that means a lot to the fans and we know that. So it's a moment we want the fans to take on for them but it's going to go to the pitch. Sometimes, I find myself singing that song in the beginning, when I am waiting for the referee to come to choose the ends. “It's a song I like personally, the people of the dressing room like it, it's a song that when we won the FA Cup , straightaway in the dressing room it was the first song that came on, from the kit-men, from the physios, people that have been in the club, fans from the club, that have been supporting the club since they were young, like you guys. “They were also part of the choice for the song. We wanted to understand from the point of view of a fan, what they thought about it. They said, 'if we have to choose one, this is the song for you guys and, for us, that makes sense'.” --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .