Ian Wright believes Bruno Fernandes could soon be forced out of Manchester United by Erik ten Hag after being unimpressed by the attacker’s attitude in the team’s loss to Liverpool.
The Red Devils suffered an embarrassing 7-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday (March 5). Fernandes was among those who struggled for the visitors on the evening.
Despite being Manchester United’s on-field captain, the Portugal international appeared to be devoid of motivation in the second half. At one point, he refused to chase down Stefan Bajcetic after being dribbled past by the Reds youngster.
Wright has now ripped into Fernandes for failing to live up to his status as United’s captain. The Arsenal legend added that Red Devils great Roy Keane would have been left disappointed with the player’s performance at Anfield.
“When you look at the capitulation of the team it’s a reflection of the captain,” Wright told Premier League Productions via (The Metro). “When I saw Bajcetic go past him and he stopped, that was the last straw because when you look at his histrionics he’s someone who wouldn’t last (in the dressing rooms I played in).”
“The captain is a special person in there. When you watch someone like Roy Keane, a performance like that must hurt him deeply with what he’s had to go through to get to that accolade, to see a Man United captain do that playing as if he’s got the world on his shoulders and not inspiring his teammates to try and salvage something.”
Wright went on to warn Fernandes that his time at Manchester United could be numbered, saying:
“To see the captain like that, he cannot be… the way Ten Hag has setting that team up he doesn’t fit in the mold of Ten Hag and how he wants his team to go forward.”
Although Harry Maguire is Manchester United’s assigned captain, Fernandes has worn the armband on most occasions after the defender fell out of favor under Ten Hag.
Bruno Fernandes’ attitude has changed since Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United exit, says Ian Wright
Wright is of the view that Fernandes’ attitude has worsened following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United in November last year. He added that the former Sporting CP attacker was quieter when the Portuguese icon was in the squad, saying:
“I think his histrionics have kicked on a bit more since Ronaldo is not in the dressing room. Maybe he would look across and see Ronaldo and not act as openly as that.”
“He seemed to quieten himself down when Ronaldo wasn’t there and now Ronaldo’s gone he feels he’s the boss of that dressing room. I look at that dressing room and try to think what player would walk up to him to eyeball him to put him in his place.”
“It looks to me like that captain needs that. There’s a lot of problems to me when you look at that performance from him. I don’t know who is going to bring that guy in line.”
Fernandes has scored seven times and provided 11 assists in 40 games across competitions for Ten Hag’s side this season.
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