“I don’t think he’s what United need right now” - Patrice Evra makes feelings clear about Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has made his feelings clear about current club captain Bruno Fernandes. This comes after the Portuguese playmaker led the Red Devils to a 2-1 loss away at the London Stadium to West Ham United in the Premier League on October 27.
He captained United to an abysmal eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season, and this season has not gone any better. Following the recently concluded league gameweek, the Red Devils sit in 14th place, and Evra believes Bruno Fernandes needs to lead the team better.
The former full-back spoke with fellow Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents, explaining:
“Listen, I love Bruno [Fernandes]. When he arrived, I was like, ‘what a player!’. The way he adapted [to the Premier League] and everything [was really good]. But something I have to say about Bruno, and forget the armband or whatever, he has no discipline. I don’t know where Bruno is playing."
Evra continued:
“I watched the game against Tottenham. Maddison, the way he was controlling the game, have you ever seen Bruno controlling a game for United that way? Like at the time of Paul Scholes. That’s what I want from Bruno.
"I don’t want a fantastic pass, a fantastic goal or whatever because I know he got those qualities. But be the leader, control the tempo [of the game]. With all due respect to Bruno, I don’t think he’s [doing] what United need right now.”
During the West Ham game, Fernandes had five shots at goal, three of which were blocked, and none of which were on target. He had a big chance to score for the Red Devils, but he missed that effort as well. While he did create three chances, his teammates failed to capitalize and find the net.
Emmanuel Petit also slams Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes
France legend Emmanuel Petit has also slammed Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes following Erik ten Hag's sacking on October 28. The former footballer placed some of the blame around the Dutchman's exit on the players while calling the Portuguese playmaker out.
In an interview with Jeffbet, he said (via GOAL):
"The only consistent thing at Manchester United now is their average performance, which has been happening for years now. Even with a change of manager, nothing will change. The body language of the players has been awful.
"Bruno Fernandes annoys me a lot, I really just want to tell him to shut up. He was terrible on West Ham and he was a terrible captain, he's not captain material. There needs to be a reaction from these players."
With Ten Hag now out of the picture at Old Trafford, assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy will take over the reins as the interim manager. The Red Devils will hope they can find a permanent manager to turn their fortunes around and help them rise up the Premier League rankings.