Bruno Fernandes has been speaking at length about the recent discussions over his suitability for the Manchester United captaincy, as the Red Devils prepare for a crucial Champions League match in Istanbul.
United face Galatasaray on Wednesday knowing defeat will see them eliminated from the competition on Matchday 5. It was therefore no surprise that captain Fernandes was chosen to face the media ahead of one of the most important matches of his team’s season.
Fernandes drew praise from his manager Erik ten Hag on Sunday for passing penalty duties to out-of-form striker Marcus Rashford during a 3-0 victory at Everton in the Premier League. Rashford, who was United’s Player of the Year last term, had scored just once this season before Fernandes’ gesture allowed him to double his tally against Everton.
“Did you see how great a captain Bruno is? He saw that his teammate needed the goal,” the Dutchman said. “Bruno could score for sure, but he has confidence in Rashy. As a team you need that leadership. You back each other, cover each other, give confidence which you need to have success.”
Fernandes has come under scrutiny in his role as United skipper, which was awarded over the summer after Harry Maguire had the armband removed. United legend Roy Keane advised Fernandes be stripped of the captaincy following defeat to Manchester Cit last month, claiming the Portuguese “is the opposite to what I’d want as captain” during his post-match analysis.
Keane has been typically dismissive of Ten Hag’s recent praise of Fernandes regarding the penalty at Goodison Park, describing the discussion as “absolute rubbish” while many others in the British media have targeted the former Sporting man for criticism this term. Speaking on Tuesday, Fernandes admitted that he is learning to brush off the negative comments.
“Obviously you don’t like it, you don’t like to be criticised and I think everyone is the same,” Fernandes said while sat with Ten Hag at the Champions League pre-match press conference. “But at the same time I have to do what I think is best for the team. I’m probably not always right, but in my head at the moment it’s the right choice so I do it.
“It’s quite normal when you play for Man United that you’re going to be criticised, whether you’re doing well or bad, doing the right thing or the wrong thing. So, I just have to deal with that and it’s normal since I arrived at the club. At the beginning everything was perfect, because if you arrive and do some things that are different to what everyone else is doing then it’s going to be all flowers.
“But I understand that the tough part comes after those first games, when results aren’t coming or performances aren’t what everyone expects. And the expectations are higher. I know that my numbers made myself a target, so not keeping the same numbers on assists and goals is sometimes a problem for me in the criticism because they’re going to take from that.
“Now it’s the captaincy. But it is going to always be something. My focus is on the team, the staff and everyone who works here. I think they’re pretty happy with me. The way I am is the same as when I arrived at the club, it hasn’t changed since becoming captain. I don’t think it has to change.
“I am really open with everyone and nobody has had a problem with me yet, so I should keep it like that. Everyone is happy with my leadership, so I have to keep it the same way.”
By @SeanGillen9
