De Gea tells Fernandes "you are not the right captain" after Keane remark

04 November 2023 , 23:57

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Bruno Fernandes scored Man Utd's winner in injury time at Fulham (Image: PA)

David de Gea told Bruno Fernandes "you are not the right captain" in what appeared to be a dig at his critics.

The Manchester United skipper came up with a stoppage time winner on Saturday afternoon at Fulham, which relieved some of the pressure on Erik ten Hag after successive 3-0 defeats at home. Fernandes was made the club's permanent captain for the first time this season.

The Portuguese star has been one of the club's most consistent performers for several years but his mannerisms on the pitch have divided opinion. Fernandes often gestures to his team-mates and becomes an increasingly frustrated figure when United lose.

He stepped up at Fulham though and posted on social media as he celebrated his vital strike. De Gea then replied with his comment and a zipped mouth emoji - seemingly suggesting to Fernandes' critics that they stop speaking.

Roy Keane was among those to call out the United skipper after his antics in the Manchester derby defeat last weekend. The Irishman led the Red Devils in a trophy-laden era and claimed that Fernandes was the opposite of what he'd want in a captain and urged Ten Hag to take the armband away from him.

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He said on Sky Sports: "The first thing I would do is take the captaincy off him. I know it's a big decision but Fernandes is not captain material. He's a talented player, but what I saw today - he's whingeing, he's moaning, he's throwing his arms up in the air constantly - it really isn't acceptable.

David de Gea responded to Bruno Fernandes' post (brunofernandes8)

"When you're talking about where do they make changes - board level, managers - I'd start with that because the manager is capable of doing that. Fernandes is a brilliant footballer but he's the opposite to what you want in a captain."

Gary Neville has also been among those to vocal criticise Fernandes, but his manager appears willing to stick by him having stripped Harry Maguire of the captaincy. The playmaker is now determined to build on the win at Craven Cottage with United unable to find any consistency this term.

“We have to build momentum, we have been talking about building momentum and we haven't done it yet,” said United's match winner. “Now we know how important it is to get the three points in the Champions League."

Samuel Meade