Manchester United duo Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United duo Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes
Amad has snubbed Bruno Fernandes as the best leader at Manchester United. Fernandes was named as United's new captain in July 2023 after Harry Maguire was stripped of the role and he has held that position ever since.
However, Fernandes has come under criticism for some of his on-pitch actions, with Roy Keane recently hitting out at the Portuguese, admitting he needs to step up and do more. "We mention Bruno [Fernandes] about his quality but he's got to do more off the pitch, he's got to be a leader," Keane told Sky Sports.
Keane's comments were a matter of hours before the Manchester derby and Fernandes responded to score the equaliser as United went on to beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Despite this, Amad, who netted the winner against their arch rivals, believes Lisandro Martinez is the best leader at the club.
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Speaking to SuperSport (via TBR Football), Amad was tasked with building his perfect United player made up of a number of attributes. He chose Harry Maguire for heading and strength, Antony for flair and Marcus Rashford for right foot and pace, but opted to go with Martinez instead of Fernandes for leadership.
"Leadership?" Diallo was asked. "Leadership? Licha (Lisandro Martinez)," Diallo replied.
Fernandes may have not been picked for leadership but he was chosen for his finishing ability. And that has hardly a surprise given the numbers Fernandes has produced across his United career. The 30-year-old has scored 85 goals in 257 appearances across his near-five years since joining the club from Sporting CP.
Amad, meanwhile, picked himself for left foot and once again, there is no shock with that answer. The Ivorian has been one of United's best players over the last couple of weeks and showcased his talent once again in the derby win on Sunday, earning a late penalty before scoring the winning goal.
Next up for Amad and United is a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Tottenham on Sunday. The Reds reached this stage of the competition by beating Barnsley 7-0 and Leicester 5-2 but face their toughest challenge so far with a trip to Spurs, who beat Manchester City 2-1 in the last round in October.