Sports
Strip Bruno Fernandes of the Captaincy — Roy Keane
“The first thing I would do is take the captaincy off Bruno Fernandes”, Manchester United legend Roy Keane says.
In the aftermath of Manchester United’s disheartening 3-0 derby loss to rivals Manchester City, former United captain Roy Keane and football pundit Jamie Carragher both raised concerns over the club’s choice of captain.
They suggested that Bruno Fernandes should be relieved of the captain’s armband, which he assumed from Harry Maguire earlier in the summer.
Erling Haaland’s brace and a goal by Phil Foden sealed a dominant victory for Manchester City, pushing them up to third place in the Premier League, just two points behind leaders Tottenham.
In contrast, Manchester United’s struggles continued, leaving them languishing in eighth place.
Following the match, Carragher and Keane were outspoken in their criticism of Fernandes’s captaincy. Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, voiced his disapproval, saying,
“A big decision Erik ten Hag has made is who he has made captain. Bruno Fernandes should not be a captain – we’re sat here with two Manchester United captains [Keane and Gary Neville].”
Keane, a former United captain himself, was even more pointed in his remarks, suggesting that Fernandes was not the right choice for the captain’s role.
“The first thing I would do – I have to tell you, watching him again – I would definitely take the captaincy off him. 100 percent,” he emphasized.
Keane went on to critique Fernandes’s on-field behavior, citing his complaints and expressions of frustration as major concerns.
“I know it’s a big decision. Obviously, they changed the captaincy with Maguire [but] Fernandes is not captain material,” Keane stated.
“I think he’s a talented player, no doubt about it, but what we saw today with him again – I know we’ve discussed this many times before, it was at Liverpool last year – is his winging, his moaning, his throwing his arms up in the air constantly. It really isn’t acceptable.”
Keane’s proposed solution to the situation was straightforward: stripping Bruno Fernandes of the captaincy.
He believed that such a move could be a crucial starting point for addressing the issues within the club.
“You have to start somewhere. You’re thinking, ‘Where do you make changes,'” Keane emphasized.
“I would start with that because the manager is capable of doing that and [he can] hold his hands up and say, ‘Okay, I 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.”
The debate over Fernandes’s captaincy at Manchester United is likely to continue, with fans, pundits, and the club’s management all weighing in on this significant leadership issue.
