Bruno Fernandes remains firm in his belief that he is the right choice to captain Manchester United, despite facing criticism from figures like Roy Keane and Paul Ince.
The Portuguese midfielder has been under scrutiny for his demeanour since taking on the captaincy, with pundits arguing that his frequent complaints and interactions with referees don’t contribute positively to the team.
Fernandes, however, attributes the criticism to a decline in his goal and assist contributions since his impressive start at Old Trafford following his move from Sporting in January 2020.
In the beginning, everything was perfect, because when you arrive in the first game, if you do something different than anyone else is doing, is gonna be all flowers. But after that, I understand the tough part is always coming, because when the result is not coming, when the performance is not what everyone expects it to be, because the expectations are always higher and higher.”
Roy Keane, the legendary United captain, has been particularly vocal in his critique of Fernandes, expressing dissatisfaction with his decision to concede a penalty to Marcus Rashford against Everton on Sunday.
Paul Ince has also voiced his disapproval, suggesting that Fernandes tends to make everything about himself instead of rallying his teammates.
The United skipper told a press conference: “Obviously you don’t like to be criticised; everyone is the same, but at the same time, I have to do what I think is best for my team. It is quite normal that when you play for Manchester United, you are going to get criticised, even if you do well or badly, if you do the wrong or the right thing. I just have to deal with that; it is normal since I arrived at the club.
Fernandes added: “I know since I arrived at the club, my numbers have made me a target so not keeping the same numbers on goals and assists is sometimes a problem for me in the criticism because they are going to (sic) take it from there. Now is the captaincy; there is gonna be always something. Now my focus is on the team, the staff, and everyone who works with me day by day, I think they are pretty happy with me, the way I am is the same since I arrived at the club; it has not changed since being captain. I don’t think it has to change. I am really open with everyone so no one until now has had a problem with me, so I think I should keep it like that; everyone is pretty happy with my leadership.”
The captain will lead United into one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the world when they face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, needing a victory to ensure they remain in Europe’s elite competition.