Bruno Fernandes continues to split opinion regarding his captaincy credentials at Manchester United, with one ex-Red Devil not a fan of the Portuguese playmaker wearing the armband
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Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates with Digo Dalot after scoring their third goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Manchester United
Danny Drinkwater has said he wouldn't want Bruno Fernandes as his captain
(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images.)
Former Manchester United prospect Danny Drinkwater has said he wouldn't want to have Bruno Fernandes as his captain.
Fernandes, 30, was first handed the United armband by Erik ten Hag in 2023 after Harry Maguire fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford. But despite some leading performances, the Portuguese talisman has struggled to engineer change and attracted criticism from some for his leadership methods – with Drinkwater among the doubters.
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The one-time Premier League champion spent more than a decade on the books at United before he joined Leicester City in 2012. And it's Drinkwater's belief that Fernandes' approach to the captaincy doesn't meet the standards he sets from a performance point of view.
"He's on fire. Number-wise, he's untouchable at United. He's carried them for a couple of seasons now," said the ex-midfielder on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "Whether or not he's a captain – I'm gonna sit on the fence with that."
When pressed on what it is about the player he doesn't see as captain material, Drinkwater replied: "I don't know. Personally, he's just not my kind of captain.
"I like someone leading me out who's almost chest out – not saying he doesn't do that – a bit more old school. But I think that's just me as a player and person really."
Danny Drinkwater on Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast
Drinkwater gave his views on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast(Image: Rio Ferdinand Presents)
Drinkwater – who retired in 2023, one year after he was released by Chelsea – spent three years as a first-team player at United alongside Ferdinand. However, he never managed to make a senior appearance for the club and was farmed out on numerous loans prior to his highly successful spell at the King Power Stadium.
Fernandes has scored 16 goals and recorded 15 assists in 44 appearances for United this term, with a couple of months still to go in the campaign. The only season in which he registered more direct goal involvements for United was the 2020/21 season, where he scored 28 times and added 17 assists, a bar he looks unlikely to match.
One point of concern for critics is the lack of discipline, with Fernandes seeing red on three occasions in recent months. He was sent off against Porto in the Champions League and was also dismissed during Premier League losses to Tottenham and Wolves.
Roy Keane on the Stick to Football podcast
Roy Keane has been among Fernandes' captaincy critics
United legend Roy Keane has been one particularly prominent voice questioning Fernandes as captain. The Irishman recently exploded during an argument with Ian Wright on the Stick to Football podcast, referring to certain United players as "f***ing imposters" and urging Fernandes to prove he's more than a technical genius.
Fernandes responded by scoring a hat-trick in a Europa League victory over Real Sociedad, then bagging one goal and two assists against Drinkwater's old club, Leicester. And the playmaker admitted comments like those made by Keane can hurt.
"It's the way he thinks about me as a player, as a captain. I have to respect that," Fernandes told Sky Sports. "I try to do the things in my own way to be not the best captain but person and team-mate as I can. I do it every day. I try to be an example in everything I do in the training sessions, on the pitch.
"But obviously, not everyone will like [it], not everyone will think in the same way, and I respect every opinion of everyone. I have to accept there is a lot of margin for improvement in my game and my leadership."