BRUNO FERNANDES looked surprised when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer announced he would captain Manchester United in Paris.
Yet it would not be a shock to see the Portuguese take the Red Devils armband on a more permanent basis going forward.
Bruno Fernandes, as he has done since he joined United, stepped up once again when it matteredCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Leadership is something that comes naturally to the £67million midfielder – even though he is only 26.
Back in February 2019, he took over as skipper of Sporting Lisbon from ex-United winger Nani and kept it for the final year of his stay.
And he showed in the French capital he could take on the responsibility – either for good or at least for the foreseeable future while Harry Maguire focuses on clearing his name.
The England defender – who was absent on Tuesday night due to a hamstring injury – has looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders this season.
The £80 million man has a Greek jail sentence hanging over his head and knows if that is not overturned then the United captaincy is not all he would lose.
His horror show against Tottenham and then that red card for the Three Lions against Denmark were proof how hard he is finding it at the moment.
At least Solskjaer knows he has the ideal man to stand in if he does need to take Maguire out of the spotlight at any stage.
To think that not long ago Paul Pogba had hopes of taking over as skipper at United – the record signing is not even getting in the starting line-up right now.
Fernandes has been a talisman ever since he first set foot in Old Trafford at the end of January.
His influence has been clear right from the off and he has not been afraid to tell team-mates when they need a word in their ear.
He also has high standards and despite a quiet start to the season, he has started to look much more like his old self in the last two games.
And his unflappable temperament was evident here too.
Bruno Fernandes has become irreplaceable for UnitedCredit: EPA
It would have been easy for him to pass on the responsibility after seeing Keylor Navas save his penalty – on the back of his miss at Newcastle on Saturday.
But he was ice cool when the ref ordered it to be retaken – scoring for the 11th time from 12 spot-kicks.
It is that sort of character that makes him an obvious choice as a future United captain. The only question is when.
Bruno Fernandes is honoured to be made captain of Man Utd for Champions League match
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
