Manchester United legend Roy Keane has said that manager Erik ten Hag should strip Bruno Fernandes of the captaincy following the 3-0 Premier League derby defeat to Manchester City.
The Red Devils had a difficult game against their arch-rivals at Old Trafford. Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford came the closest to scoring but Pep Guardiola’s side were by far the better team.
Speaking after the game, Keane was not impressed with Fernandes’ reaction. The 52-year-old said that Fernandes is a ‘brilliant’ footballer but he keeps on moaning and throwing his arms up when things go against United.
He told Sky Sports: “Today having watched him again I would take the captaincy off him 100 per cent. I know it’s a big decision, obviously they changed the captaincy with Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material.”
“He is a talented player no doubt about it. But what I saw today – we’ve discussed many times before, it was last season at Liverpool – his whinging, his moaning and throwing his arms up in the air constantly.”
Keane added that is not acceptable and believes the manager should strip him of the captaincy as the Portuguese is the opposite of what he would want in a captain, he added:
“It really isn’t acceptable. From what we saw today, I’m thinking I would take that off him. You have to start somewhere. We were talking about where do you start [fixing the problems] – the manager, board level.”
“I would start with that because the manager is capable of doing that. Fernandes is a brilliant footballer but in terms of captain material he is the opposite to what I would want in a captain.”
Keane’s opinion was influenced by derby outcome Fernandes has been United’s most creative player since his arrival from Sporting in 2020.
He has registered 66 goals and 57 assists from 198 appearances which is an incredible achievement. The midfielder has earned the captain’s armband on the back of his performances.
Yesterday was not his day in the final third, but he worked hard for the team. Fernandes won five duels and three tackles. The Portuguese tried his best to get United back into the game.
In our opinion, Keane’s frustration over the defeat was angled towards Fernandes. The midfielder obviously likes to voice his opinion to referees which is definitely a good thing.
Fernandes is one of the most vocal captains in the Premier League. We would prefer to have him as a leader over someone who stays calm over the course of 90 minutes.