Rashford backs Bruno Fernandes as Man Utd captain with ‘perfect’ comment

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 8 Mar 2023 13:18 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has backed Bruno Fernandes to remain as the club’s captain, despite an outcry over the Portugal international following Sunday’s 7-0 Premier League defeat to Liverpool.

The encounter at Anfield sent shockwaves through the Old Trafford side, with several players coming under scrutiny for their attitude in the match.

Bruno Fernandes, who is Man Utd’s de facto captain following the demotion of Harry Maguire to bench player, was one of those who was most severely reprimanded as the former Sporting CP player showed lamentable body language as the match slipped dramatically away from his team.

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The 28-year-old at least publically retains the support of his colleagues, despite previous reports to the contrary.

Rashford, speaking ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Real Betis, offered a strong defence of the midfielder.

"I love playing with Bruno, as you can imagine. He's the perfect player to play with,” he told the media.

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“He's been a good leader for us, even when he's not captain, which is always a good sign. He's helped other players become better leaders and the reality is that we can't be an organised team in terms of just one leader being captain. He's done a lot for us.

“I don't have anything negative to say about Bruno. As the manager said, nobody is perfect. I support him and I'm 100% behind him.”

Ten Hag on Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag also indicated that he has no plans to strip Bruno of the captaincy following the Anfield loss.

“Yes, he’s definitely still captain,” the former Ajax boss said. “I think he's playing a brilliant season, he's played an important role in the position that we are.

“He's giving energy to the team, running a lot with intensity, in the right way. He's pointing and coaching players, he's an inspiration for the whole team.

“No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. I'm really happy to have Bruno Fernandes in my team and I'm happy with him as our captain with Harry not on the pitch.”

Man Utd face Betis in Seville on Thursday as they chase a cup treble, with Bruno and Harry Maguire having already jointly lifted the Carabao Cup.