Juan Mata hits back at Manchester United superstar's critics after Roy Keane's scathing rant
Juan Mata has voiced his support for former teammate Bruno Fernandes after Roy Keane claimed that the Manchester United star should be stripped of the captain's armband earlier last month.
After Manchester United's 3-0 loss to arch-rivals Manchester City, Keane asserted that Fernandes is not a fine captaincy choice for the Old Trafford outfit. He told Sky Sports (h/t Manchester Evening News):
"The first thing I would do, having watched him again today, is definitely take the captaincy off him, 100 per cent. I know it's a big decision and obviously he did change the captaincy from [Harry] Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material. I think he is a talented player, no doubt about it."
Ridiculing Fernandes' on-pitch outbursts against City, Keane continued:
"But what I saw today with him again, and I know we have discussed this many times before, was him whinging, moaning, throwing his arms up in the air and it really isn't acceptable and after what we saw today, I would take it off him."
Keane, who plied his trade for United between 1993 and 2005, added:
"You have to start somewhere. You talk about board level and managers, I would start with that because the manager is capable of doing that. Fernandes is a brilliant footballer. In terms of captain material, he is the opposite to what I would want in a captain."
However, Mata launched a defence of Fernandes after the Portuguese scored the winner in Manchester United's 1-0 league win at Fulham this Saturday (November 4). He posted on an Instagram story:
"Professional. Committed. Humble. Hard-working. Talented. Decisive. Leader. Respectful... and imperfect, just like the rest of us. Always in my team ❤️"
Rio Ferdinand singles out Bruno Fernandes for praise after Manchester United's 1-0 win
Speaking to TNT Sports, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand lavished praise on Bruno Fernandes after his role in his side's latest 1-0 victory at Fulham. He said (h/t Mirror):
"The captain stood up. We needed a big performance, we needed a goal. At a critical time against Burnley after the Champions League defeat [4-3 to Bayern Munich], he stepped up. Today they needed somebody to step out of the shadows and get into the spotlight and that was him. He took responsibility. A fantastic strike."
Fernandes, who arrived in a move worth up to £68 million deal from Sporting CP in 2020, has started 14 of his 15 overall appearances this season. He has registered three goals and three assists so far.
Manchester United, who finished third last season, are sitting in eighth place in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 18 points from 11 matches. They will next face Copenhagen in their UEFA Champions League match on November 8 before hosting Luton three days later.