"Bruno Fernandes is a brat, not a Manchester United captain" - Paul Parker urges Erik ten Hag to hand armband to experienced star

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has urged United manager Erik ten Hag to remove Bruno Fernandes as captain and install David de Gea in his stead.

With Harry Maguire failing to cement his place in Ten Hag’s starting XI, Fernandes has been operating as Manchester United’s captain. The Portugal star has regularly popped up with goals and assists, but his body language has not always been up to the mark.

Fernandes’ attitude was heavily criticised in Manchester United’s heavy 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on March 5. He was seen arguing with the referee time and again, refused to track back at times and committed three fouls out of frustration.

Parker said that Fernandes does not know how to set the right example as captain, which is why no one respects him. Parker, who won two league titles with the Red Devils, told Apostagolos:

“First of all, I was saying from day one that Bruno Fernandes shouldn't have been the captain. I think he is a player who should be left to his own devices. He is not a leader and this is the reason why it took him that long to get to a big club like Man United.

“People are trying to protect him by saying that he is the best player, he is making assists, and so on. But the truth is that he has been childish and petulant with the way he throws himself to the ground and blames the referees. He is a brat.”

The former defender continued:

"Wearing the armband is about getting the other players to calm down. Imagine if he told Casemiro to calm down. He would just shake his head. No one would ever accept anything coming from him because of the way he conducts himself.

“He prefers to walk around and kick people, complain and give up. He gave up against Liverpool, which is miserable. He was not the only player who gave up and it was wrong by all the players. But as a captain he should make sure that it wasn't happening and he is never doing that.”

The Englishman then backed De Gea, who has been at the club since 2011, to become Manchester United’s next captain. Parker added:

“David de Gea should be the captain. He is acting like a captain and he is actually trying to calm people down. Just like a captain should do. It was wrong that Harry Maguire was given the armband just because of the price tag that was around his neck and it was wrong that Fernandes was given it.

“You should never give a new player the armband and that is why I'm not advocating for Casemiro. Could he be a future captain? Definitely. But it has to be given to someone who has shown loyalty and consistency over a longer period of time. And David De Gea has done that.”

Parker concluded by saying that anyone would be a better captain than current captains Maguire and Fernandes:

“One thing is for sure, Maguire or Fernandes shouldn’t be the captain and almost every player would be a better choice than these two,” Parker added.

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Erik ten Hag unlikely to change Manchester United’s captain at business end of season

Despite his questionable antics, Bruno Fernandes has been one of Manchester United’s best players this season, scoring seven goals and claiming 11 assists in 40 appearances across competitions. Unless his form takes a massive dip and he's out of the XI, manager Erik Ten Hag is unlikely to take the armband away from him.

David De Gea, meanwhile, has not been at his best for Manchester United this season. He has kept 16 clean sheets in 36 games across competitions and has conceded 5.3 more goals than projected in the Premier League.

Ten Hag, who refused to replace Maguire ahead of the 2022-23 season, is unlikely to invite anothee conflict by swapping captains in the closing months of the season.