January 3rd 2025.
At the beginning of last season, there was a major shakeup at Manchester United as Bruno Fernandes was given the prestigious title of team captain. However, as pressure continues to mount on the dynamic midfielder, former United player Patrice Evra has surprised everyone by voicing his opinion on who should hold the captain's armband.
It was back in 2023 when Fernandes was first given the captaincy by former manager Erik ten Hag, who had controversially taken it away from Harry Maguire due to his poor performance. Despite being one of United's star players and recently signing a contract extension until 2027, Fernandes has faced criticism for his leadership skills.
In fact, football pundit Graeme Souness recently went as far as to call the 30-year-old a liability after he received his third red card of the season in a match against Wolves. And with United going through one of their toughest periods in history, current coach Ruben Amorim has openly admitted that his team is in desperate need of strong leaders on the pitch.
Speaking on Friday, Amorim discussed the recent decision to extend Maguire's contract, describing the English defender as "a leader". He also acknowledged that while Maguire may have had a rough time at the club, he is still crucial to the team and needs to continue improving his leadership skills.
However, Evra believes that Maguire should once again be given the captain's armband, despite having it taken away from him in a less-than-dignified manner. Responding to an Instagram post about Maguire's contract extension, the former full-back wrote that the defender should be given back the armband, praising his resilience and leadership qualities.
After the incident with ten Hag, many believed that Maguire would leave Old Trafford, but he ended up staying and has since become an important member of the squad. He even captained the team in a Carabao Cup game in September and has been seen wearing the armband in matches where Fernandes was suspended.
However, it seems that Fernandes will continue to lead the team on the pitch, at least for now. As United prepares to face their arch-rivals and current league leaders Liverpool on Sunday, the Portugal international is set to be captain once again. Despite their recent struggles, the team is determined to put up a fight and prove themselves against their fierce rivals.
It remains to be seen how this captaincy debate will play out in the future, but for now, all eyes will be on Fernandes as he leads his team against Liverpool. After a string of disappointing results, many are not expecting United to come out on top, but the team is determined to prove their critics wrong and turn their season around.
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