BRUNO FERNANDES faces missing out on becoming Manchester United’s permanent captain following his behaviour at Anfield on Sunday.
The Portuguese playmaker, 28, has deputised for club skipper Harry Maguire due to the England international spending most of the season on the bench.
And with Maguire, 30, expected to leave in the summer, a new Man Utd captain is set to be appointed.
However, The Mail are reporting that Fernandes’ antics during their 7-0 loss to Liverpool have left many unsure about the merit in giving him the armband.
Fernandes repeatedly threw his arms up at his team-mates as Erik ten Hag’s men capitulated on Merseyside.
He failed to acknowledge the away support at full-time, before Raphael Varane urged the rest of the team to head over to the Man Utd corner of the ground.
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Fernandes also went down clutching his face while wrestling with Ibrahima Konate, despite replays showing the Liverpool defender only made contact with his chest.
He also appeared to push linesman Adam Nunn.
These acts are said to have left his team-mates “irritated” by his behaviour.
And it is being considered that an alternative captain to Fernandes could be better for long-term team spirit.
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Varane, David de Gea and Casemiro have all been named as potential skippers.
However, Ten Hag is not expected to strip Fernandes of the role before the end of the season as it would cause an unnecessary uproar.
Meanwhile, Man Utd legend Gary Neville pulled no punches in his assessment of the Red Devils’ temporary skipper on Sunday.
Fronting up to the media after the game, Fernandes then came out and said: “It’s really frustrating, because it’s a really bad result.
“The first half was really good, we created most of the chances, they didn’t create much. The second half was not our level.
“We know how much better we can be, how much quality we have.
“We’ve set good standards for ourselves, now we must get back to that for ourselves and our fans.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
