Bruno Fernandes: Manchester United skipper opens up on criticism

Bruno Fernandes has been a fountain of creativity for Manchester United since moving to Old Trafford in January 2020 from Sporting.

His arrival sparked a change in the team, helping them find a new lease of life under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Bruno maintained his high standards through a series of managerial upheavals at the Theatre of Dreams.

He was crucial to Ralf Ragnick’s tactics, indispensable under Erik ten Hag, and now remains the beating heart of Amorim’s ensemble.

While there cannot be many complaints about his qualities with the ball, he is not without flaws, and his behaviour at times has drawn criticism from a section of fans and pundits.

Bruno was handed the armband by Ten Hag in the summer of 2023, given his influence on the team, replacing Harry Maguire as skipper.

However, many believe that the player’s tendency to moan when things go wrong on the pitch is one of his biggest problems.

His teammates often have to endure his wrath at the slightest drop in effort, and there have been instances where they weren’t pleased either.

Jadon Sancho famously got into a war of words with the Portuguese during a game against Aston Villa in April 2023. When Bruno complained about a missed pass, the Englishman appeared to ask him to “stop moaning.”

There have been other instances, too, where the player has received criticism for his behaviour, including during the recent penalty miss incident against Fulham this season.

However, others will point out that Bruno wears his heart on his sleeve and sets very high standards for himself and his team. His frustrations simply surface when efforts fail to match the expectations.

Some critics also argue that the player’s emotional approach makes him unfit to be United’s skipper, but the player insists that he will not change.

Bruno sat down with The BBC in April this year to discuss many facets of his life and football.

When asked what people get wrong about him, Bruno responded: “Nothing. People have an opinion about me and I can’t change that.”

“That’s the way people want to judge you about what they see on the pitch or the television or interviews. I can’t change that.

“They have the freedom to think the way they want about me as I have the freedom to think about them. I don’t judge people until I know them.

“They can have an opinion about me, that’s fine – we all have an opinion and that’s why life is so good and so different. If we all think the same way it would be so boring.”

In April last year, days after breaking his hand against Coventry City in the FA Cup, Bruno took to the field against Sheffield United with a heavily bandaged arm.

It was later revealed that the Portuguese fought through the pain barrier to be on the pitch.

The 31 year old played the entire game, scoring two goals and setting up another to help his team secure a comeback 4-2 win.

Exactly a month later, he put in another captain’s performance to help United pick up a 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

For United fans, life would have been boring without Bruno Fernandes.

Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images

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