Siddharth Juyal
Former Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov believes that sacking Bruno Fernandes from captaincy would be a bad move
Former Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov spoke against the idea of sacking Bruno Fernandes from the captaincy. Ex-United captain Roy Keane gave a scathing assessment of Fernandes’ leadership inabilities while asking for his sack from the captaincy.
United lost the Premier League Manchester derby 3-0 at Old Trafford as Manchester City dominated the game. Fernandes seemed dejected and agitated for most of the game as he failed to influence the match at all.
United manager Erik ten Hag chose Fernandes as his captain for the new season after stripping Harry Maguire of it. Fernandes has been a consistent performer for the Red Devils since signing for the club. The Portugal international is one of the senior-most players and the main outlet for creativity in the United squad.
Berbatov told Betfair (h/t Mirror) that sacking Fernandes from his captaincy in the middle of the season would be counter-productive. He said:
“Now if you take it from Bruno, that will be bad for his morale. If he is removed as Man United captain, then his performances will dip because it’s disrespectful to him. Bruno will be aware of the criticism regarding his behaviour, and he will need to work on it.”
Fernandes has made 14 appearances for United in all competitions this season while contributing two goals and three assists. The Portugal international has been a consistent outlet for goals and assists for the Red Devils before this nightmare season.
The 29-year-old wears his emotions up his sleeves and tends to openly show his frustrations as the team suffers. The Portugal international indeed lacks the calm and inspirational mindset required in a leader in a time of need.
The Red Devils have a rich history of stoic captains who managed to keep level-headedness during the tough games. Fernandes has unfortunately failed to be a motivating factor for his teammates as their poor individual and collective form continues.
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Keane has criticized Fernandes numerous times for throwing tantrums and dejection openly which isn’t a good look for a captain. Nevertheless, Berbatov validly pointed out that stripping Fernandes of the captaincy in the middle of the season wouldn’t be advisable.
