Rio Ferdinand gives verdict on "nitpicking" Man Utd debate under Erik ten Hag
Rio Ferdinand has backed Erik ten Hag's decision to hand the Manchester United captaincy to Bruno Fernandes - and slammed "nitpicking" critics.
Under-fire defender Harry Maguire - who is expected to join West Ham in a £30million move - was stripped of the captain’s armband just days before the start of their pre-season tour of the United States, causing uncertainty for the player and club. But Ten Hag quickly moved to replace the England centre-back, with Portugal star Fernandes stepping in.
Fernandes previously captained United, particularly last season as Maguire struggled for minutes under Ten Hag. The former Sporting Lisbon star, however, also attracted criticism for his on-pitch antics from former Red Devils stars Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
But TNT Sports pundit Ferdinand has thrown his support behind Fernandes and said: “Captaincy, is Bruno the right fit? There’s been some talk that (Lisandro) Martinez may have been a better fit…I’m delighted he’s got it. People are nitpicking. Look at Bruno and look at his output since he’s been at the club.
"No-one is near him in terms of numbers, in terms of influence and consistency. He’s been that guy. He’s been rewarded and rightly, so I think., Nitpicking at his demeanour - is that a worry? Anyone that would have got the job people would have said “well, what about this?”
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“It would have been different things for different people. I think there are elements in his game, or his demeanour maybe, that as a captain, just having the armband and the responsibility will sort itself out because he’s mature enough to understand his actions have consequence or an impact on other people. When you get the armband, and I’ve experienced that, you self-regulate anyway, and I think he’ll do that.”
Rio Ferdinand has backed Bruno Fernandes to shine as Manchester United captain (C1 MEDIA)
Fernandes has replaced under-fire defender Harry Maguire (Getty Images)Meanwhile, Erik Ten Hag also backed up his decision saying Fernandes is the perfect choice to replace Maguire. He added: "A good team is always covering areas as leaders, team players, multi-functional players, specialists, individualists. But you need some leaders in the team, on the pitch, who are guiding the team, who are building the team, who are controlling the quality of the performance.
"And one has to wear the band and I chose Bruno because he's a great inspiration. He always wants to be a better football player, working very hard to give his maximum performance, so he is the mirror for many players.
“He is a good social connector, also has very good in-game understanding, so for a manager, it's very good to have that integrated on the pitch. So they are some reasons but he can't do it alone. We need more leaders to have the strong bond who can send the team in the right direction."
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