"Just stop moaning" - Gary Neville urges Manchester United superstar to take Jadon Sancho's criticism on board
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has sided with Jadon Sancho in the Aston Villa incident, advising Bruno Fernandes to improve his attitude on the pitch.
Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday (April 30) in the Premier League clash at Old Trafford, with Fernandes scoring the winner in the 39th minute. The hosts created a flurry of chances in the first 45 but often lacked the end product, leading to wayward shots and easy saves for Villa 'keeper Emiliano Martinez.
Fernandes had a bit of a tiff with Sancho after the Englishman had failed to fulfill his duties during a sweeping United move in the first half. As the Portuguese playmaker pointed fingers at Sancho, the Borussia Dortmund man was also seen lashing out, asking his captain to 'stop moaning'.
Dissecting the incident on his podcast, Neville took Sancho’s side, hoping Fernandes would take Sancho’s feedback in good spirits (via GOAL):
“It sums Bruno Fernandes up. He’s Manchester United’s most effective player; he’s their best player. But I think every fan and probably every United player is thinking: just stop moaning! I moan a lot, but I didn’t do it on the pitch at my own players!"
He continued:
“So that’s probably the perfect summary of Bruno Fernandes. He’s a match-winner; when Manchester United don’t have him in the team they drop levels like you wouldn’t believe – and we’ve seen that recently against Sevilla.”
The former England international added:
“It’s an important win for Manchester United. Bruno Fernandes is a star. His assists and goals record is incredible from the position that he plays.
"He always wants the ball; he’s got the courage to take the ball; he always fights for everything in a game. But maybe one of his teammates or two do need to tell him to stop moaning now and then, and that probably, to be fair, is something he will take on board.”
Fernandes has been one of the Red Devils’ best players this season, scoring 11 times and claiming 14 assists in 52 games across competitions. Only Rashford (29 goals in 51 games) has scored more than the Portugal star this term.
Rio Ferdinand backs Bruno Fernandes to become Manchester United’s next captain
Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Bruno Fernandes for his decisive display in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Englishman hailed Fernandes for racking up goals and assists consistently and backed him to become the team’s next captain. On his FIVE podcast, Ferdinand said:
“The guy… it’s remarkable what he is doing. If he was at Arsenal, he’d probably have a statue now at the Emirates with the numbers he has done! Does Bruno take the captaincy next year? 100 per cent, I think he does. Since Bruno signed (for Man Utd), he has been the most impactful player we have had.”
United’s vice-captain Fernandes has worn the armband in Harry Maguire’s absence this season.
With Maguire falling out of favour under Erik ten Hag and Fernandes putting up impressive numbers on the board, fans have been calling for the Portuguese to become United’s captain. It will be interesting to see if Ten Hag inally grants fans’ wishes this summer.