Chris Sutton believes that Bruno Fernandes shouldn’t lead Manchester United once more after the team’s humbling 7-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Portuguese, who fills in for club captain Harry Maguire while he is out, received criticism for how he conducted himself throughout the match.
There are others who are much more qualified to serve as captain, Sutton stated.
They don’t have the best leader in Fernando. There are better candidates out there than him, Casemiro being one of them.
Former Premier League striker Sutton added: “I think he should never put on the armband for Manchester United,” while also suggesting Raphael Varane on BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.
The 28-year-old Fernandes has 57 goals and 50 assists in 166 games for the club across all competitions, but Roy Keane, a former captain of United, dubbed his body language at Anfield “disgraceful,” while Gary Neville, another former captain, termed it “embarrassing” at times.
In the 81st minute, he also appeared to push the assistant referee. The referee did not take any action at the moment, and the Football Association is not looking into what happened.
Also, it has been confirmed to BBC Sport that he did not request to be replaced toward the end of the game after concerns were raised regarding a gesture he made toward the bench.
When Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetic attempted to pass him near the touchline at one point, Fernandes paused and didn’t pursue the midfielder.
Sutton continued, “That was a highlight moment yesterday.
“As awful United were, you can’t just give up and allow someone get away from you. That’s what the Manchester United captain did, and it’s unprofessional.
If he loses the captaincy, “I don’t think he has any serious arguments,” the man continued. I believe Bruno’s days are numbered.
The loss occurred seven days after Manchester United’s first trophy since hiring Erik Ten Hag as manager last May—the Carabao Cup—was won.
They are now third in the Premier League and have advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals and Europa League last 16 stages.
Ten Hag, who condemned his side’s performance against rivals Liverpool as “unprofessional”, sacked the in-form Marcus Rashford earlier this season when the striker missed a team meeting, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract was terminated by mutual consent in November.
Sutton continued, “Given how Ten Hag has handled Rashford, Ronaldo, it’s a position he needs to have a handle on. Ten Hag is forced to show him who is in charge.
Football analyst Rory Smith stated of United captain Fernando: “Fernandes is a fighter, he has a win at all costs mindset. He seemed petty and whiny to me, but perhaps other players simply perceive that as a sign of his competitiveness.
As much as Bruno’s absence from yesterday’s game was the most notable one, Smith continued, “I would also question what occurred to Casemiro and Ten Hag’s substitutes. Bruno Fernandes wasn’t the only failure from yesterday.
