THE BIG DEBATE: Fernandes has come under fire from fans and pundits alike for his conduct during Man Utd’s shambolic 7-0 defeat at Liverpool, so should the armband be taken off him?
There were no good performances for Manchester United anywhere you looked at Anfield, but one man is getting it in the neck more than others.
Bruno Fernandes has achieved several impressive things in his career, but he’ll now always be the United captain who led his team into a 7-0 defeat at the home of their biggest rivals.
Seven. Nil.
As you’d expect, the criticism has been flowing his way from pundits after a miserable performance full of whining and whinging, with Gary Neville calling Fernandes “embarrassing” and “a shambles” and Chris Sutton branding him “a petulant child”.
Mike Walters
NO!Capitulation at Anfield was not the first time Bruno Fernandes had gone missing wearing the Manchester United armband.Towards the end of last season, when they lost 3-1 at Arsenal, his disappearing act when the chips were down should have sounded alarm bells at Old Trafford – but there was nobody at home in the belfry.When the storm is at its fiercest, I have thought for some time that Fernandes is first in the lifeboat instead of staying on the bridge to direct operations.
Fernandes certainly didn’t lead by example at Anfield ( Image: Getty Images)
And when Liverpool ran riot in the second half, it was a familiar look – pointing fingers, not winning a single tackle that mattered, no leadership. Pay attention, this is your captain sinking.Unfortunately for United boss Erik ten Hag, there were few plausible alternatives as skipper. David De Gea has never conceded seven before, and it wasn’t his finest hour, but you couldn’t lay the blame for a rout at his doorstep.And at least local boy Marcus Rashford looked as if he cared about being humiliated in a deadly rival’s back yard.Bruno Fernandes? Terrific footballer when the going’s good, silly hop-skip-and-jump penalty technique, but not captaincy material if United are serious about reclaiming their perch.
John Cross
There is no way Bruno Fernandes should be trusted as Manchester United’s next captain based on his performance at Anfield.
Pride and passion is the least you should expect. His second half surrender was shameful and embarrassing. Certainly not befitting of a United player.
If the captain sets the tone, then what an appalling example.
There has to be an element of freak result about what happened at Anfield. But the one thing you can read into it is character and leadership. Too many United players folded like a pack of cards. They gave up. And Fernandes was the worst example.
His post match interview on Sky wasn’t much better. He sounded like he was reading from a script. Thank the fans, mention Red Devils, bounce back. Tick, tick, tick. Say it like it matters.
Even in the Fergie days, United suffered bad defeats. But would the likes of Keane, Butt, Scholes given up like that? No chance.
When Harry Maguire goes this summer and hands over the armband permanently, go for a leader. Not a quitter.
Neil Moxley
What’s new about Bruno Fernandes?Pundits have laid into him during the past 24 hours, tagging him a ‘petulant child.’Why now? He hasn’t changed. He’s always been like that. He should have been sent off for pushing the assistant referee towards the end at Anfield, too.Everyone overlooks his behaviour because Manchester United have been winning football matches.Fernandes can play. Which is a good job because clearly he’s not captaincy material.Roy Keane would have ordered a shut-down at 3-0, forced United back into their shape and found the intensity to stop Liverpool.Instead, this Manchester United side just merrily carried on shooting themselves in the foot.Fernandes’s game management – and Erik ten Hag’s – was woeful.Who should get the job?Probably someone with proper backbone, Lisandro Martinez?But leader of men, Fernandes? Not a chance – it beggars belief why he got the gig in the first place.
Fernandes has been slammed by pundits ( Image: Getty Images)
Darren Lewis
You discover most about your leaders – any leader – when you are in the trenches.
In one of the darkest hours of Manchester United’s history on the pitch, Bruno Fernandes went missing.
If Erik ten Hag wanted to make a real statement in reaction to Sunday’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, he would remove Fernandes as captain immediately.
No waiting until the summer, or the start of next season. Now.
Fernandes tried to cheat by diving to win a penalty at the expense of Alisson. He appeared upset when Ten Hag didn’t substitute him. You’re the captain. You’re supposed to be the one player who wants to stay on the pitch no matter what.
He clutched his nose and went down feigning injury when Ibrahima Konate had caught him in the chest.
Worst of all, Fernandes was caught by Sky’s TV cameras shoving an assistant referee.
He’s a terrific player and, with seven goals and 11 assists this season he has been an important player in a trophy-winning side. But should he remain an ambassador of a club with the stature of United? No chance. Is he the kind of example you want your kids to follow in the mould of a Rashford, a Varane or a Casemiro? No chance.
That trio had a bad game. You’re allowed to have them. With Fernandes, Sunday was no flash in the pan. He’s done it before but United winning – they’ve won all but five of their games since the end of October – has papered over the cracks. Now Ten Hag has an issue he has to address quickly.
The attitude at the club has for the most part reflected the leadership in the dug out this season. Now it has to start to reflect the leadership on the pitch.
Neil McLeman
Erik ten Hag does not have his problems to seek after the seven-goal humiliation at Anfield.
But the Dutchman faces a big call over the future captaincy of Bruno Fernandes at a club where he has already offloaded Cristiano Ronaldo and demoted Harry Maguire from the starting team.
For all the money spent, United’s performance lacked spirit and leaders. And captain Fernandes personified the problems with his petulance and stupid push on the assistant official.
Stripping the Portuguese midfielder of the armband would also be effectively declaring that Fernandes has no future at Old Trafford and Ten Hag has to decide if he is still wanted in his second season.
Do his playmaking skills still outweigh his tantrums – and will they in the future?Manchester United have gone from leaders like Steve Bruce and Roy Keane to Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.
The immediate choices to be the on-field leader would be David de Gea or Casemiro, who has captained Brazil. But Ten Hag’s rebuilding job at Old Trafford has only just started.
Harry Maguire’s absence from the United team has led to Fernandes taking the armband ( Image: AP)
James Nursey
Manchester United had an absolute nightmare on Sunday at Anfield and all their players deserve a big dressing down, including skipper Bruno Fernandes.
But given the club’s impressive recent form and cup-winning success, it is hard to believe Erik ten Hag will panic into making major widespread changes immediately.
Fernandes is clearly a very passionate player who demands and expects more from team-mates such is his intense desire to win.
I remember interviewing Yannick Bolasie, who was captained by Fernandes at Sporting Lisbon, about the ace when he was on the verge of moving to Old Trafford.
Bolasie couldn’t speak highly enough of Fernandes as a player , a leader and a person.
On this occasion the Portuguese midfielder has let himself down but he has to have a chance to put it right.
It was pretty exceptional circumstances which would have tested the leadership skills of any player but I think he should remain as skipper when Harry Maguire is not in the team.
Sam Meade
Quite simply, no. The Portuguese star gets far too much of a free ride at United – and often has in my opinion. His immediate impact was heightened due to the poor side he arrived in to back in 2020 and he has been able to ride that wave for a long time.Yes he impacts games on occasion, but when the going gets tough he does anything but rally the troops, if anything it looks like he’d rather leave them behind. Calling out your colleagues and driving standards is one thing, but if that’s what Fernandes is trying to do, then he gets it desperately wrong.There are other candidates standing up, namely Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez, who continue to display leadership qualities on a weekly basis.
Tom Victor
The fact that we’re even debating Bruno Fernandes’ suitability as Manchester United’s on-pitch captain demonstrates the strange relationship English football continues to have with the role.
There are responsibilities for a skipper, sure, but the overvaluing of the leadership of one player – and keenness to judge them against a specific set of qualities – feels outdated.
In other leagues, there has been a push towards a leadership group, with the player who wears the armband simply being a symbolic figurehead rather than a brave soldier leading his men into battle. Refreshingly, Arsenal appear to have taken this approach under Mikel Arteta, with Martin Odegaard far from the only on-pitch leader.
If you’re relying on one heroic leader, be it Fernandes or someone else, you’re always at the mercy of overblown criticism of their every move, and this can’t be healthy. That said, probably let Raphael Varane take over for a bit, I reckon.
