I have finally decided to Return the Captain badge to Him but that will be done Only On TWO CONDITIONS,I know He’s the rightful owner but the board must do what’s right”, Bruno Fernandez have REVEALED the TWO CONDITIONS that will make Him handover the Captaincy to Harry Maguire amid recent speculation that He’ll soon be demoted by Ruben Amorim
I have finally decided to Return the Captain badge to Him but that will be done Only On TWO CONDITIONS,I know He’s the rightful owner but the board must do what’s right”, Bruno Fernandez have REVEALED the TWO CONDITIONS that will make Him handover the Captaincy to Harry Maguire amid recent speculation that He’ll soon be demoted by Ruben Amorim
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been told to make a drastic call and remove Bruno Fernandes as the club captain.
Fernandes was not at his best in United’s 2-1 win against Leicester, although the same can be said for many of his teammates.
However, given Fernandes dons the captain’s armband, his performances will be scrutinised more than most.
But former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew believes handing the Portuguese international the skipper’s armband was ‘dangerous’ given the type of player he is.
“You’ve got your skipper out there, you’ve got a technical skipper, when you’ve got a technician as a skipper, I think it’s always dangerous because they’re going to have off games,” Pardew told talkSPORT.
“Even (Christian) Eriksen in his prime, (Michel) Platini in his prime, they’d have the off day. They were technical players.”
Pardew also felt Fernandes’ creativity is somewhat shackled by the armband and believed the attacking midfielder is bogged down by worrying about what his teammates are doing.
It prompted the ex-Crystal Palace boss to make an extremely bold claim.
“Today, it was never Fernandes because they (United) never had the ball enough,” Pardew said.
“Defensively, he’s not been called upon. How can he lead the team? It’s a very difficult one for him.
“I actually think it would be better for him as a footballer to take it off him. I think it might free him up a bit, let him be a bit more free-minded. He’s probably worrying about the back four, worrying about the wingers. You don’t really know how to deal with it.
“I don’t know, I think it’s a hamper to him.”
Fernandes was named club captain at the start of the 2023-24 season, replacing defender Harry Maguire.
The defender was appointed skipper in January 2020 by then-manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer but was stripped of the role by Ten Hag just days before Fernandes was announced as his replacement.
“He (Ten Hag) outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt,” Maguire posted on social media at the time.
The announcement of Fernandes’ captaincy did not exactly come as a surprise given he wore the armband multiple times in place of Maguire during the 2022-23 season.
In his first full season as United’s skipper, Fernandes scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League.
Fernandes could have opened his account in the opening game this season against Fulham but missed two golden chances in the first half.
The slow start comes after the 29-year-old inked a new deal with United in August that ties him to the club until the end of June 2027, with an option for an extra year.
Fernandes’ new deal, which talkSPORT understands made him one of the club’s highest earners, came after he had been linked with moves to Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the summer.
