‘Worst teammate’ Bruno Fernandes sparked reaction from Man Utd team | Football | Sport

Captain Bruno Fernandes has been in the firing line following his side’s dismal 3-0 defeat to Tottenham. Manchester United approached the new season with hopes of rejuvenation; Erik ten Hag received a boost with a one-year contract extension, and the squad was strengthened by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Still, a paltry seven points from six games is seeing the panic button pressed.

Fernandes became the personification of the chaos and lack of confidence that surrounds the team, embodied by his poor performance this season and the great challenge on James Maddison, which resulted in a red card – although he later successfully appealed. His current situation also draws parallels with the criticism he has faced for his dismal start to the 2022/23 season.

Former striker and now commentator Gabriel Agbonlahor was critical of the Portuguese talent two years ago, and his sentiments were reportedly echoed in the United dressing room back then – and may still be to this day.

Speaking to talkSPORT following United’s troubled start to 2022, suffering defeats to Brighton and a 4-0 loss to Brentford, Agbonlahor commented: “For me, Fernandes, since he’s been in the Premier League, yes, he’s had great stats, goals and assists, but he looks like the worst teammate.

“Every time a player gives, every time he gives, he throws his arms to his teammates, he throws his arms to the bench.

“I’ve played with players like him, you’d be furious with him. He’ll press every now and then. If it was Paul Pogba, they’d be massacring Pogba in the media. Fernandes gets away with murder. Have you seen Fernandes do anything? It’s easy to say Maguire, Ronaldo, Rashford, Sancho.

“Fernandes, for me, I don’t remember the last time he played a decent game. He’s always the one throwing his arms in the air. game and he would blame you. That’s the type of player Fernandes is. The worst possible teammate.”

In a scathing report at the time, the Daily Mail claimed that, rather than defending their team-mate against such harsh criticism, some of Fernandes’ colleagues were increasingly frustrated with him. Following United’s next victory over rivals Liverpool, it was reported that a number of players were “irritated” by Fernandes’ behavior in the game.

The midfielder’s constant complaints and an incident in which he appeared to push a linesman in the back were cited as problems that caused discontent among his teammates. Furthermore, his dramatic reaction to a minor altercation with Ibrahima Konate did not go unnoticed.

Two years on, it appears that Fernandes has made little progress in improving his teamwork skills, as evidenced by his poor performance against Spurs, leaving his team-mates at a disadvantage for more than half the game, reports the Mirror.

Former United defender Gary Neville criticized Fernandes when speaking on Sky Sports after the first half against Spurs, highlighting that little has changed for the Portuguese. He said: “It’s one of the worst performances I’ve seen in Erik ten Hag’s time at Manchester United, and that’s saying something.

“It’s been really bad. And he won’t believe what he saw, his captain was sent off. When players react like that, it means something happened that we didn’t see initially. He was knee-high, Bruno Fernandes. I think he slipped a little before the tackle, but he won’t get away with it.

Although the red card was overturned following an appeal, Bruno Fernandes’ dismissal helped cast a darker shadow over coach Erik ten Hag’s future. Rumors are circulating that the Dutchman may only have two games left to save his job as head coach, leaving the club in a troubled post-transfer window as it will not be possible to improve the squad until January.

All eyes will be on Fernandes’ recovery after his sending-off was overturned, with vital fixtures ahead for United. They face FC Porto in the Europa League before facing Aston Villa in the Premier League before the international break in October.