Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United’s 2020s model of Roy Keane: vocal, aggressive, fiercely aggressive, extremely gifted and deemed by his supervisor to be the plain captain. The Portuguese is all this stuff, particularly in a United classic that’s among the many weakest of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson period.
If Ferguson seen Keane as his alpha male, the Irishman was surrounded by stellar acts in Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Jaap Stam and quite a few others. At totally different instances, all had an argument for being the Premier League’s finest participant of their place. Fernandes doesn’t take pleasure in the identical supporting A-list solid. In a workforce recreation he appears to be like across the pitch every week and sees perhaps solely Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez, when they’re match, who’re his equal.
Right here, then, we discover one other Fernandes parallel with Keane that has a diverging consequence. The photographs of Ferguson’s captain serially haranguing referees – and main teammates to comply with – stay clear within the thoughts’s eye, near 20 years after he left United. However Keane was in a facet that dominated in his 12 years on the membership, in eight of which he was captain. Criticism might have been muted because of the regulation of admiration that may place observers in thrall to the serial winner.
What would occur if Keane had been dropped into Erik ten Hag’s United facet? His capability would nonetheless be apparent, however that fierce drive for victory could be extra frequently analysed as pathetic and petulant, as is the case with Fernandes. Keane had a violent aspect, as Gareth Southgate or Alf-Inge Haaland may affirm. Fernandes doesn’t. His physique language, although, receives scathing critiques. But if Fernandes had been bounding across the area like a spring lamb throughout United’s many off days, how would this be assessed?
As Ten Hag says: “What you see is the character of a participant expressed of their physique language and that isn’t a factor that you would be able to change in a short while. Bruno is an effective instance of this. I’ve seen he needs to win and so he exhibits his emotion and that’s an absolute energy from him to push his personal workforce. He exhibits how a lot he needs to win in order that others round him decide it up and go and combat with it.”
The Fernandes persona is a Keane-like cocktail of referee-berating and in-your-face feistiness. The previous attribute is one which winds up opponents, their followers and a big swathe of the pundit class, who like to declaim on the United captain.
Fernandes faces one other accusation that was by no means levelled at Keane: play-acting, along with his naysayers seeing a thespian able to carry out a quasi-dying act each time any defender strikes to inside vary. However accusing a participant of falling over if an opponent merely exhales close by could be a idiot’s recreation.
Fulham are the newest to point out why after they posted a TikTok clip of Fernandes hitting the Outdated Trafford turf after a coming along with Sasa Lukic in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Cottagers. It was edited with a slapstick soundtrack and captioned with “So glad he’s okay” and a “hmm” emoji. Ten Hag bristled when made aware of the clip and has known as for an apology.
The Dutchman is adamant Fernandes suffered damage within the incident and solely his want drove him on to play in Wednesday’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat of Nottingham Forest. The 29-year-old laid on the successful purpose for Casemiro, and was then grabbed across the throat by Felipe in stoppage time. There was little outcry past United followers on social media. If Fernandes had achieved the identical, would we nonetheless be listening to about it now? Nearly actually.
What will get missed is simply how good a footballer Fernandes is. United’s playmaker will lead his workforce out on the Etihad Stadium for Sunday’s 192nd derby in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, and Pep Guardiola is evident his menace must be nullified.
after e-newsletter promotion
“It’s all the time been like that, he can create one thing,” Guardiola mentioned of Fernandes. “I’m very impressed – he’s an distinctive participant. Particularly the consistency of the participant, in each single recreation in each single competitors – I like that quite a bit.
“He’s a man when he has the ball one thing goes to occur – from free-kicks, set items, actions with the gamers up entrance, with [Marcus] Rashford, all of the strikers there,” the Manchester Metropolis supervisor added. “So what can I say? He’s a very necessary participant.”
Fernandes isn’t injured and his numbers since becoming a member of United from Sporting in January 2020 help the billing. His appearances in every marketing campaign in United colors are 22, 58, 46, 59 – plus 35 and counting this season. His purpose returns: 12, 28, 10, 14 and 7. Assists: eight, 17, 14, 15 and eight.
In final season’s corresponding fixture, United went down 6-3. With their facet 4-0 behind at half-time at a jubilant Etihad Stadium, hordes of United followers departed earlier than a ultimate consequence that was made to look barely much less of a thrashing by Anthony Martial’s objectives on 84 and 90 minutes.
Fernandes was not within the XI that day due to damage. He and Ten Hag hope he could be a main distinction this time. However will probably be robust, as Fernandes continues to shine brilliant amongst far too many lesser lights.
