Bruno Fernandes has been the heartbeat of Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Is there a more impactful signing done by the Red Devils since the retirement of the great Scottish manager?
As a result of his remarkable performance, Fernandes has officially been named the new Manchester United captain. The former Sporting Lisbon will take over the armband from Harry Maguire, who lost his place in the team. The former Leicester City man will likely be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer. However, Maguire has said he accepts his poor performance and will try to regain his team position.
On the other hand, Fernandes has taken the entire Manchester United fanbase by surprise with his consistency. Under Ole Gunnar Soljskaer, he nearly broke Eric Cantona's record for the number of goals and assists in a first entire season. However, his stats covered up for the bad performances he used to put in for the club.
However, under Erik Ten Hag, he has become even better. In the 2022/23 Premier League season, he created the most chances out of any midfielder. He was also supported heavily by Christian Eriksen, who had a fantastic debut campaign with Manchester United. With two creative midfielders in the team, it is baffling how poor United's frontline was in the 2022/23 season except for Marcus Rashford.
Rashford scored 30 goals across all competitions last season, making it his most successful domestic campaign. However, the second-highest goals scored in the season were 13 by Fernandes himself.
Harry Maguire's nightmare at Manchester United
It was almost as if Maguire was destined to fail as a Manchester United captain once Soljskaer gave him the captain's armband. The former Hull City man came to Manchester United with a hefty price tag of £80m. It is currently the world record for the highest fee paid for a defender, which will be broken by Joško Gvardiol soon at Manchester City.
Maguire was already under much pressure to deliver to a hefty price tag. Hence, giving him the Manchester United armband was the last thing he wanted. The pressure of the price tag and the captaincy seemed to take its toll on the English defender as his performances declined.
Although he secured consecutive Champions League spots under Soljskaer, he was part of United's worst backline in Premier League history in the 2021/22 season. In that season, the Red Devils faced huge defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively. Hence, many believe that Maguire was too soon given the captain's armband.
They also believe England International best suits a defensive team, as he cannot play on the halfway line. Maguire's lack of pace has leaked many goals for Manchester United in the 2021/22 season.
Leadership qualities of Bruno Fernandes
On the other hand, Fernandes never had the pressure of the price tag. He flew out of the gates since his debut for Manchester United. In the second half of the 2019/20 season, he scored 12 goals in all competitions.
In the most recent season, many instances showed Fernandes' leadership qualities. When Soljskaer announced him as the captain in the Champions League game against Paris Saint Germain (PSG), he was wide-eyed in the press conference.
After that, despite not wearing the armband, the Portuguese midfielder has been the heart and soul of Manchester United. In the 2022/23 season, Fernandes played 62 games, the record for most games played by an individual in the domestic season. Moreover, out of those 62 games, he captained the team 42 times, including the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals.
There was a case in the FA Cup semi-final vs. Brighton, which indeed showed the difference between Maguire and Fernandes. After being goalless for 90 minutes, Fernandes came to the touchline and gave the entire team a pep talk. On the other hand, Maguire was nowhere to be found.
Fernandes is a demanding individual that won't settle for anything other than the best. As his mentality matches Erik ten Hag, it was an easy decision for the Dutch manager. It remains to be seen how the United team will respond to him after becoming the club's new first-choice captain.
Although Fernandes is now an official captain, he will share the responsibility alongside many experienced individuals at Manchester United. Raphael Varane has been the captain of the Red Devils in the current pre-season tour. Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez's inputs are also of massive importance. Marcus Rashford has also emerged as a good leader on certain occasions.
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