Graeme Souness appears to have found a new Manchester United scapegoat in the shape of Bruno Fernandes, who has been praised by many pundits this season for his performances at Old Trafford. The pundit gained a reputation previously for blaming Paul Pogba for a large proportion of the Red Devils’ issues before the midfielder left the club to rejoin Juventus last summer.
United have progressed significantly this season, with Erik ten Hag handing his senior players a lot of responsibility – and they have thrived as a result. Marcus Rashford has been unrecognisable when leading the line, with Fernandes flourishing thanks to the arrival of Casemiro relieving him of some of his defensive duties.
Fernandes has scored six and assisted seven for United this season, with his versatility also being a useful asset when deployed in a more attacking role. Despite regularly leading by example, and wearing the captain’s armband, Souness is not convinced that the Portugal international has what it takes to pick himself up when the going gets tough.
Speaking on William Hill’s Up Front podcast with Simon Jordan, Souness said: “Bruno Fernandes is obviously not a leader, it’s as plain as the nose on the end of your face. His attitude when they went 3-0 down at Liverpool was appalling. You certainly would not want to be in the trenches with him.
“When you become a captain of a football team, it’s about setting an example on the pitch and off it. To have a successful football club, you need good senior players and professionals. I look at myself when I walked through the door in Liverpool, how I changed in the seven years I was there, and what I was like when I left.
“I wasn’t the best player when I walked through the door, but I learned from some very serious football players, and seven years later when I become a senior, I like to think that I passed that information on.”
Fernandes was heavily criticised when United were humiliatingly beaten 7-0 by Liverpool, failing to track back on several occasions and looking disheartened when he was not substituted off. And Souness is fearful that the 28-year-old won’t learn his lessons, continuing: “In the case of Bruno, you’ll see him be a star when you’re on top of the opposition and on the front foot, and he can be a real talent, but he showed a side to him that day at Anfield which was very unattractive.
“Erik ten Hag has then chosen to overlook it because he knows going forward that Bruno will win him games and score goals. But he’ll think, the next time he comes up against a really difficult situation, is he going to go missing? I think he already knows the answer to that.”
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Football News Click Here
