Bruno Fernandes has replaced Harry Maguire as Manchester United’s permanent captain.
Maguire was stripped of the armband during talks with manager Erik ten Hag on Sunday and United have now confirmed that the role has been handed to Fernandes.
The Portugal midfielder was United’s de facto captain last season given Maguire rarely played after losing his place in the side early in the campaign.
United’s players were informed of the decision by Ten Hag in a team meeting at the club’s Delta Marriott hotel in New Jersey on Thursday morning local time.
Fernandes’ suitability as captain came under question after his behavior in the second half of United’s 7-0 capitulation to Liverpool at Anfield in March, when he was criticized for a petulant display and histrionics.
But Fernandes reacted impressively afterwards and sources close to Ten Hag insist the manager values his deep knowledge of the game and strength as a communicator.
Ten Hag believes that Fernandes, with or without the armband, has proven to be an outstanding leader since joining United for an initial £47 million from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
He is considered an inspirational presence on and off the field and in the dressing room and is said to embody the culture of high standards and ambition for success that Ten Hag is striving to cultivate.
Ten Hag believes United have a growing core of leaders in the squad, such as Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, and expects them to continue to offer steadfast support to the captain.
Fernandes, twice named United’s player of the year, has scored 64 goals and claimed 54 assists in 185 games for the club.
Fernandes is the right man to lead United
March 5 was not a good day for anyone of a Manchester United persuasion but it would be an obvious reference point for those keen to present a case against Erik ten Hag’s decision to make Bruno Fernandes his new permanent captain.
United’s second-half collapse at Anfield, when they conceded six times in a 7-0 capitulation, was shocking to witness but so was the petulance on display from Fernandes.
Nobody in the team covered themselves in glory but, when United looked to their big guns for a hint of leadership, all they got from Fernandes were sulky histrionics. This correspondent was not alone in his criticism of the Portuguese midfielder’s behavior.
As ever in this age of shock jocks and delinquent social media rage, the fallout ended up reaching hysterical heights at times and, while Fernandes’ antics were unbecoming of a United captain, the calls in some quarters to strip him of the armband he wore regularly in Harry Maguire’s frequent absence did not seem very well thought through.
Ten Hag, for his part, stood resolutely by his man but he was not alone in being prepared to overlook one particularly bad day at the office for a player who had otherwise done more than pretty much anyone else to raise standards at the club over the previous three years.
Anyone who had a front row seat to watch United’s dressing room threaten to tear itself apart the previous season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and later Ralf Rangnick will not have forgotten Fernandes’ persistent attempts to maintain a semblance of order amid the chaos and toxicity.
He was the glue that prevented a bad situation from getting even worse and, while his arm waving and incessant moaning can, at times, irk teammates let alone United fans or opposition supporters, everyone inside the club recognizes that this is a man hellbent on dragging the team forward, together.
It was evident again last season, too, when Fernandes refused to allow his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo’s unhappiness and selfishness behind the scenes to corrode the emergence of a new, tighter dressing room.
Indeed, a better insight into Fernandes’ mentality than that Anfield debacle came at the end of last season when the Portuguese stressed that anyone with a true understanding of United’s size and ambition as a club would not attempt to package it as a success.
Similarly, it reflected Fernandes’ mindset that he sought assurances about the direction of the club before signing a contract extension last year, unwilling to accept a new deal on offer simply because it would pay him more money. He wanted to know the club was going to get its act together.
Fernandes is not happy to muddle along and accept second best, he does not deal in platitudes or attempt to sugar coat situations. He, like Ten Hag, wants better – much better – and it is no surprise to see a player shaped in the manager’s image being given the armband on a permanent basis.
Does it help that, in the likes of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, United have more winners and leaders in the dressing room? Certainly. Both of those players would probably have their own claims to be captain but Fernandes, with his impressive command of English, deep knowledge of the club, match-winning quality and experience of the role, was the obvious choice to succeed Maguire. The only surprise was that the decision was not made sooner.
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