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Manchester United legend Lee Sharpe has revealed he has “always been on the fence” when it comes to club captain Bruno Fernandes, pointing out he’s a leader by example but also has weaknesses that don’t bode well for the team at times.
Widely loved by the fans, Fernandes has remained a polarising figure among the media and former players.
Fernandes has faced plenty of criticism from the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane, who have previously called him out for his tendency to throw his arms up, complain, and lose his composure – particularly when things aren’t going his way.
A week ago on The Overlap, Keane launched a furious tirade, claiming Fernandes is “not a fighter” and that, while he has talent, it’s not enough for a club of United’s stature.
Keane’s sentiments were not received well by a section of the fanbase, considering just how crucial Fernandes has been, especially during a troubling 2024/25 season. Indeed, the skipper has come up with some very crucial goals and moments of magic, most recently on Sunday when he scored a fabulous free-kick in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Peoples Person, hosted by BetBrain, Lee Sharpe gave a mixed opinion on Fernandes and his leadership credentials.
Sharpe said, “I’ve always been sat on the fence with Bruno. I think he does brilliant things in games but then I think he does schoolboy stuff in games. I think sometimes he’s a little bit too keen to cover every blade of grass and do everyone’s job and help everybody out and he gets caught out of position himself.”
“There are times when he’s closing down, he’s a little bit suspect and can let people get past him too easy. I think he gives the ball away in dangerous areas at times but on the other hand, he scores free-kicks and creates goals like nobody else does at Old Trafford at the moment and he’s probably the best at it, one of the best at it in the league if not the world.”
“You have to sort of accommodate him, with his mistakes and his flaws if you want to live with the genius of him if you like.”
“As far as his captaincy, I think he is too emotional and you have to be emotionally in check and in control and I don’t think he is at times.”
“But I think he leads by example. He leads by scoring goals, always being available, always fit, very rarely injured. Like I said, covers every blade of grass and works harder than probably any player on the pitch.
“He leads by example by performance and energy more than he does in sort of waving his arms around and shouting at referees and falling over when he gets tackled down again. He’s a top player but not without his flaws.”
In 41 appearances across all competitions this season, Fernandes has managed 12 goals and 13 assists.
Since August 2020, he has registered more goal contributions (94) than any other midfielder across Europe’s top five leagues.
In the Premier League, he is only joined by Erling Haaland and Mo Salah on the list of players to have hit the 25-goal involvements mark for the third season in a row.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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