THE Manchester United captain has admitted he was wrong.
“Obviously we shouldn’t react like that. We regret it and it won’t happen again. I promise you that.
Bruno Fernandes is taking flak from pundits but is already proving to be a strong Man Utd captainGetty
GettyFernandes can be United’s new Roy Keane, an inspired midfielder leader[/caption]
“Footballers are under a lot of pressures but dealing with it is part of the job. It’s not right that we have a go at referees like that.
“As a captain I should be setting a better example,” he said.
Bruno Fernandes after last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham?
No, that was Roy Keane reflecting on an incident in January 2000 when with veins bulging out of his neck he led a charge at ref Andy D’Urso who had just — correctly — given Middlesbrough a penalty.
Keane is regarded as United’s greatest ever captain, a man with passion, grit and determination in spades.
Fernandes said something similar to Keane about his on-pitch behaviour. He said: “I have respect for everyone in the game: Managers, players, referees even!
“It’s the way I feel sometimes, alive during the game, it’s not being disrespectful to referees but it’s my passion for the game that makes myself go over the line.”
Yet when Fernandes shows this passion, admonishes team-mates or questions officials, it seems he is not fit to wear the armband.
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Harry Maguire’s summer replacement as skipper is now in the spotlight and top pundits are queuing up to have a go.
Micah Richards said: “He said he needs to be emotional when he performs because it makes him play better.
“But I feel like his body language on the pitch is disturbing the rest of the team and it’s just not a good look at all. It’s pathetic at times.”
Fernandes had demanded an apology after United were refused a penalty at Spurs.
Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand said: “I understand why he’s upset. But he probably would have got more out of it by coming out there and going, ‘You know what, we’ve been s**t, we ain’t been up to the level we expect ourselves to be at and we need to get better, be better and do more’.”
And Chris Sutton blasted: “Bruno Fernandes, for me, shouldn’t be captain of Manchester United. Absolutely not, he’s not a leader.”
But spending some time in Fernandes’ company talking United you realise what the club means to him.
Fernandes refused to sign a new deal and seal more money until he was convinced by football director John Murtough that the club was going in the right direction.
The Portuguese had asked him: “Does the club want to build something to go to the Champions League?
“Because for me, that’s not enough and the club demands more. The history of this club, the quality of the players we have, it demands more than just being here and fighting for fourth place. It demands trophies, it demands at least fighting for trophies.”
That sounds like a United captain to me.
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