- Bruno Fernandes has come under fire for his performance and on-pitch demeanor in Manchester United’s loss to Manchester City.
- Former United skipper Roy Keane believes Fernandes should have his captaincy duties stripped due to his behavior.
- Micah Richards has now also criticized Fernandes on the Rest is Football podcast following the game.
The Manchester derby had all the ingredients to be an intense affair, but while Erik ten Hag’s manchester United entered the underdogs, they were outclassed, outworked and outbossed in every department by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester city Erling Haaland – as expected – was heavily amongst the goals as he opened the scoring from 12 yards out as his Scandinavian counterpart, Rasmus Hojlund, conceded a penalty in the 26th minute.Their lead was doubled through the talismanic Norwegian as he was left unmarked at the back stick to guide a header past a hapless Andre Onana. He then turned his hand to assisting phil foden as the Stockport-born ace increased their cushion to three goals with 10 minutes of normal play remaining on the clock as the Red Devils looked very much down and out.One player from the red side of Manchester that has come under fire for his performance and on-pitch demeanor as his side was ripped apart was the man with the armband wrapped around his bicep: Bruno Fernandez . His performance in Sunday’s clash earned him criticism from former United skipper, Roy Keane, after the game.
Keane claims Fernandes should have his captaincy duties stripped
Following Manchester City’s 3-0 rout over their arch-rivals, Keane had much to say about the result. He not only questioned Guardiola antics at the end of the game but also Fernandes’ suitability to lead a team onto the pitch, especially one the size of Manchester United. Being a former custodian of the club himself, Keane, known for his days captaining his Stretford-based team to glory, will understand the trials and tribulations of embracing the armband of a club so huge in stature.
“After today, having watched them again, I would definitely take the captaincy off him [Fernandes]. 100% – I know it’s a big decision as they obviously changed the captain from [Harry] Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material. I think he’s a talented player no doubt about it but what I saw today with him again is his whinging, his moaning, his throwing his arms up in the air. It really isn’t acceptable and what we saw today, I would take that off him.
“You have to start somewhere; you have to make changes, and you’re talking about board level, managers. I would start with that because the manager is capable of doing that and hold his hand up and say ‘Listen, I got it wrong’. Fernandes is a brilliant footballer but in terms of captain material, he is the opposite to what I would want in a captain.”
Richards makes damning statement about Fernandes
And now, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards spoke out about the Portuguese’s capability to lead the 13-time Premier League champions back to greatness. On the Rest is football podcast, alongside former striker duo Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, Richards gave his two cents’ worth on the ever-growing problems at Manchester United and looked more deeply into Fernandes’ on-pitch attitude during their damning 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
Most interesting of all, the former defender-turned-pundit highlighted that, despite being the man trusted with the armband, the Portugal international typically becomes much more selfish when things aren’t going either his or Manchester United’s way. Richards pointed out that Fernandes tends to play for himself rather than the team in these scenarios, hardly what you would expect from a captain when a club is having a bad day at the office.
“Have you noticed what [Bruno] Fernandes does though? When Man United go behind, and he’s not having a good game, what he does is he starts running around trying to get the crowd onside running out of position to make everyone believe he’s working really hard for the team. But really, he’s just playing for himself.
“I was working with Roy Keane today, and he said he would take the captaincy off him. We’re not questioning his ability. He’s a quality player, but as a captain, he’s just… I don’t know if the pressure is too much for him or he’s trying to do too much, but it’s not quite working out,
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