18 hours Ago By [email protected] (Harry Brent)
Ruben Amorim had some choice words for Bruno Fernandes after his red card in Manchester United's Boxing Day defeat by Wolves. It marked the Red Devils' third defeat on the trot in all competitions and their fourth in five in the Premier League, leaving them 14th in the table. Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner to give Wolves the lead near the hour mark before Hwang Hee-chan doubled the hosts' lead in second-half stoppage time, but Fernandes' dismissal was the tipping point.
The United skipper was given his marching orders on 47 minutes with the score at 0-0 after needlessly picking up a second yellow card by catching Nelson Semedo on the ankle with a reckless challenge. He had no right to complain, though the same couldn't be said for Amorim, who effectively blamed the defeat on the midfielder after the defeat. "It's so tough to win games in this league with 11 men," he said.
"With 10 men, it's more difficult. We have to focus on that." He also questioned Fernandes' decision-making, suggesting there was no need for him to have made the challenge on Semedo.
"I think he cannot go to the ball," Amorim said. "He's trying to reach the ball and some guys are not even looking at the ball but I don't want to focus on that." Incredibly, it was Fernandes' third red card of the season, which, in many ways, encapsulates the problems he's been facing recently.
Discipline has been a big issue for the midfielder. He wasn't sent off last season but was by far and away United's most booked player with 12 yellow cards to his name. In 2022/23, it was a similar story, with Fernandes picking up 12 yellow cards again, one fewer than the club's worst offender, Casemiro.
His goal contributions have also been sliding, with the ex-Sporting star struggling to replicate the numbers he hit during his first 18 months at Old Trafford (40 goals and 28 assists). Elsewhere, Fernandes continues to face questions about his overall effectiveness, as well as his in-game conduct. Back in 2022, Aston Villa icon-turned talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor branded Fernandes a terrible team-mate, citing his mid-match moaning and unimpressive work rate and reports at the time claimed that many of the Portugal international's United colleagues felt the same way.
"For me, Fernandes, since he's been in the Premier League , yes, he's had great stats, goalscoring and assists, but he looks like the worst team-mate," Agbonlahor said. "Every time a player gives it away, every time he gives it away, he throws his arms up at his team-mates, he throws his arms up at the bench. "I've played with players like him, you'd be fuming at him.
He'll press now and then. If that was Paul Pogba, they would be slaughtering Pogba in the media. Fernandes gets away with murder.
Did you see Fernandes do anything? It's easy to say Maguire, Ronaldo, Rashford, Sancho. "Fernandes, for me, I can't remember the last time he had a decent game. He's always the one that's throwing his arms up in the air.
Even when he gives it away. He could pass it to you but pass it out of play and he'd blame you. That's the sort of player Fernandes is.
The worst possible team-mate." This season, Fernandes has six goals and 10 assists under his belt, but doubts remain about his suitability as club captain. After being sent off in United's 3-0 defeat by Tottenham in October, Fernandes admitted he'd let his team-mates down.
"I just wanted to come and talk and be myself because my team-mates deserve that for what they have done in the game playing with one man less – particularly as I was the man sent off, the one that let them down," he said after the game. "No one likes to be sent off. It's not a good feeling.
We end up conceding another two goals." He was sent off again four days later during his side's Europa League clash with Porto. At the time, United were 3-2 down and pushing for an equaliser, which, eventually, was scored by Harry Maguire in stoppage time, saving Fernandes' blushes.
Fernandes was given the captain's armband in 2023 after former manager Erik ten Hag brutally stripped it from Maguire, a role the Englishman had held since 2020. While there isn't a clear standout candidate to succeed Fernandes, his ongoing lapses in discipline and underwhelming form may well prompt Amorim to emulate his predecessor and make another leadership change. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football.
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