13 December 2023 , 09:22
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Paul Scholes has questioned Bruno Fernandes again in the wake of Manchester United 's underwhelming exit from the Champions League.
The Red Devils are out of Europe altogether after finishing bottom of a group featuring Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen. Their fate was sealed on Tuesday night following a meek 1-0 home defeat against Group A winners Bayern.
Fernandes, 29, had been criticised heavily in the build-up to the game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth - meaning he is suspended for this weekend's huge match against arch-rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
And the United captain's week went from bad to worse as Scholes singled him out after defeat against the German giants. He told TNT Sports of the Portugal international: "You almost think he’s trying to be a bit of a hero at times, you see him at left-back, you see at right-back, picking the balls up from the centre-halves. He’s trying these final passes all the time but I think he just needs to help his centre-forward more.
"If he actually plays his position properly and better, he helps the team - I think if I was playing with him and I wanted to link with him or play a one-two, I wouldn’t know where the hell he is. It’s up to people like Amrabat and McTominay to stay in their positions."
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His comments come less than two weeks after he made a similar point about Fernandes' penchant for drifting all over the pitch in the 1-0 loss against Newcastle. Speaking at the time, Scholes claimed such a tactic "upset" United's formation.
Join the debate! Do you agree with Scholes? Let us know here.
Paul Scholes questioned Bruno Fernandes again in the wake of Manchester United's exit from Europe (Shaun Botterill)He said previously: "Look, he’s got fantastic ability, he can score a goal and make a goal, but I would love to be in the dressing room before a game and see what the manager is asking him to do. What position is he asking him to play? Where are you supposed to be on the football pitch? I see him as a No.10, it’s his best position as he can play a pass and he can get a goal.
‘Where was he tonight? He was never in that position. I see him on the left, the right, sometimes he is the deepest Manchester United player, getting the ball off the goalkeeper.
"I don’t think that is healthy for the team. It upsets the formation and it upsets the way of playing. We don’t know, the manager might be telling him to do it, but it looks like he goes out and does what he wants on the field."