12 December 2023 , 09:48
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Rio Ferdinand believes that Luke Shaw is an option to deputise as Manchester United 's captain against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Red Devils head to Anfield without skipper Bruno Fernandes, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the sobering 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth for dissent. The Portugal international will now serve a one-match ban at the weekend.
It remains to be seen who will don the armband in his absence; former club captain Harry Maguire has returned to form this season but Erik ten Hag could decide against putting extra pressure on the defender by giving him back the captaincy. And if that is the case, then Ferdinand believes Shaw could get the nod.
During a discussion on talkSPORT, Ferdinand admitted he was none the wiser about who would lead United out at Anfield before suggesting Shaw. He said: “You’d think it would be Harry Maguire, given that he was the last captain. But I don’t know who he will go with. There’s not many names jumping off the team sheet. Luke Shaw, maybe?”
Ten Hag's decision to hand Fernandes the armband back in the summer has divided opinions with plenty of fans and pundits believing the midfielder is unsuitable for such a role.
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Chris Sutton became the latest person in the football sphere to stick the boot in on Fernandes after the United captain let himself down again with poor body language in the drubbing against Bournemouth.
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Rio Ferdinand believes Luke Shaw could stand in for Bruno Fernandes as Manchester United's captain against Liverpool (Ash Donelon/Manchester United)Sutton questioned his attitude after picking up on comments Fernandes made after the match, writing in The Mail : "There was one quote in particular from Bruno Fernandes which summed up the alarmingly poor attitude among Manchester United’s players. It was his admission that they thought it was ‘going to be easy’. United underestimated Bournemouth and they were schooled because of that."
He added: "He tried to play Hollywood passes and ended up in Hartlepool. Then he earned a yellow card for acting like a cry-baby towards the end of this beating. That was his fifth of the season, so he’s now banned for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool - a fixture United lost 7-0 last season. It was more poor leadership from the captain."
While Fernandes will not be available against Liverpool, the United captain is eligible for Tuesday night's do-or-die Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich as his ban only relates to domestic competitions.