Bruno Fernandes is a “brilliant footballer” but not captaincy material, according to Roy Keane, who felt the midfielder’s attitude was “unacceptable” in Sunday’s harrowing Manchester derby defeat by Man City at Old Trafford; Fernandes only got the armband in the summer
from Roy Keane, football pundit
19:17 UK Sunday 29 October 2023
Roy Keane says Bruno Fernandes should be stripped of the Manchester United captain’s armband.
Keane, the former United captain, was scathing of Fernandes’ conduct in Sunday’s Manchester derby defeat, as City demolished their rivals in their own backyard to win 3-0.
Eric ten Hag only made Fernandes his captain in the summer after stripping Harry Maguire of the armband, but Keane says the Manchester United manager should put his hands up and say “I’ve messed it up”.
“Today, after watching him again, I would 100 per cent take the captaincy away from him,” Sky Sports said expert Keen Super Sunday.
“I know it’s a big decision, obviously they changed the captain’s armband with Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material.
“He’s a talented player, no doubt about that. But what I saw today – we’ve discussed it many times before, it was last season at Liverpool – his whining, his moaning and his hands in the air all the time.
“This is really not acceptable. From what we saw today, I think I would take it down.
“You have to start somewhere. We talked about where to start [fixing the problems] – manager, board level. I would start with that because the manager is capable of doing that.
“Fernandez is a brilliant footballer but in terms of captain material he is the opposite of what I would want in a captain.”
Neville stands with the Ten Hag despite the derby ‘deletion’
As Manchester City’s players celebrate a 3-0 win at Old Trafford, Gary Neville, Micah Richards and Roy Keane give an honest assessment of how far Manchester United have fallen behind their local rivals.
Manchester United were “wiped out” in the Manchester derby by Pep Guardiola’s City, according to Gary Neville, but the Sky Sports pundit insisted United must stick with increasingly beleaguered The Hague.
Erling Haaland’s penalty separated the sides at half-time before City turned on their style to seal an emphatic 3-0 victory.
“It was a lesson in football. Manchester United didn’t know what to do,” finished Micah Richards.
Even the result, albeit one-sided, flattered United; City’s XG at the end of the game was 3.94.
“The first half was a contest,” observed Neville. “The second half was not a contest. It turned into chaos. United disappeared in the second half.”
Rasmus Hoylund’s second-half substitution was widely booed by the Old Trafford crowd as Ten Hag’s selection, which included replacing Sofyan Amrabat with Mason Mount at half-time, came under sharp scrutiny.
“It wasn’t a great day for his shifts,” Neville reflected. “They were amazing last season but they made the team worse today.
“He’s gone too soon. He opened up his midfield and exposed himself.
“But my anger is not with Ten Hag. I don’t think he is the main problem. The toxicity at this club eats alive every manager and every player that comes here.”
However, United’s lack of a recognizable style of play at Ten Hag drew further condemnation from Jamie Carragher.
“He’s been here for 18 months and none of us here can explain what Manchester United are trying to do with the way they play. They play underdog football. They play on the counter-attack and long balls – no other top team plays like that.
“It’s really shocking when you see them try to play from the back.”