Roy Keane has again expressed his distaste for some of Bruno Fernandes’ on-pitch antics.
The Portugal star captained Manchester United for the 191st Manchester derby on Sunday afternoon, with the Reds falling to a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford by the full-time whistle.
Fernandes has come under fire by supporters recently for his form; his goal contributions have dropped off significantly in comparison to his first two seasons as a Red and at times, he can be more wasteful than productive in such crucial, must-win games.
Keane calls for captaincy change
However, it wasn’t his performances that had Keane riled up post-match in the Sky Sports studio – it was his behaviour.
“After today having watched him again, I would take the captaincy off of him,” Keane began. “I would definitely take the captaincy off him, 100 per cent. I know it’s a big decision, obviously, they’ve changed the captaincy with [Harry] Maguire but Fernandes is not captain material. I think he’s a talented player no doubt about it but what I saw today with him again, I know we’ve discussed this many times before like at Liverpool last year, his whinging [and] his moaning. He’s throwing his arms up in the air constantly… it really isn’t acceptable.
“What we saw today I’m thinking, I would take that off of him. You have to start somewhere, you’re talking about making changes at board level, managers – I would start at that [captaincy] because the manager is capable of doing that and holding his hands up and saying, ‘Listen, I’ve got it wrong’. Fernandes is a brilliant footballer but in terms of captain material, he’s the opposite of what I would want in a captain.”
"He's the opposite to what I would want in a captain!"
Roy Keane says he would take the captaincy off Bruno Fernandes 😳 pic.twitter.com/r8ynceAum8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 29, 2023
The 29-year-old was granted the honour of taking the armband over the summer; Ten Hag held talks with Maguire to inform the defender that he would no longer hold the role after three years, and it was later confirmed that the responsibility would be passed to Fernandes – a decision which, at the time, was welcomed by most fans.
Footage courtesy of Sky Sports.
wasnt welcomed by any knowledgable fans tbh. most fans who warned of ETH’s shortcomings, and ole’s it should be added have wanted bruno sold.
he is a net negative player as is rashford. ETH is not a strong enough character to have made the changes that needed to be done when he came in – now the chickens are coming home a they say and he has no-one else to blame apart from himself.