10 March 2023 , 08:45
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Paul Scholes thinks Manchester United need a "calming influence" as captain after Bruno Fernandes' turbulent week with the armband.
Fernandes was labelled "embarrassing" by Gary Neville and other pundits after producing a terrible captain's display in United's 7-0 loss at Liverpool last Sunday. Yet the 28-year-old was back to his best on Thursday night - scoring in United's 4-1 win against Real Betis.
Fernandes is United's stand-in skipper when Harry Maguire is either not selected or unavailable, but the Portugal international could be handed the role on a full-time basis if Maguire leaves Old Trafford in the summer. That is a major concern for club icon Scholes.
"Your captain has to be a calming influence, really. He almost has to be the one who calms characters like him down," Scholes told BT Sport after United's comprehensive victory in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Spanish outfit Betis.
"I worry about him if Manchester United, in March or April time, are going for a league title. I don’t think having Bruno as your captain would be ideal. But we know he’s only the vice-captain at the minute, we know Harry Maguire's not playing.
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"Going forward, bigger games, bigger parts of the season, going for trophies and big Champions League finals and stuff, I think a captain who’s less emotional might be better."
Bruno Fernandes responded to his critics by scoring against Real Betis on Thursday night (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)Do you think Bruno Fernandes should be Manchester United's captain? Let us know in the comments below!
Fernandes is undoubtedly one of United's most important players, but his behaviour during their defeat to Liverpool has raised doubts over his leadership skills. "I think some of his behaviour in the second half has been a disgrace," Neville told Sky Sports last Sunday.
United conceded six goals during the second half of their loss to Liverpool. Neville added, "Second half has been an absolute disgrace, a shambles. They have not been epitomised more than Bruno Fernandes, who has been embarrassing - a shambles - in this game."
United boss Erik ten Hag and talisman Marcus Rashford defended Fernandes ahead of Thursday's game. Although Scholes believes there are big question marks over the former Sporting Lisbon star, he does believe some of the criticism has been over the top.
Scholes added, "You have to remember that he has been asked to play in positions that he is not comfortable in and I think he has sacrificed himself for the team for that.
"He was clearly frustrated with his team-mates and he shows it in a way that I don’t think, when he looks back at it, he will be proud of what happened, throwing his arms up in the air and pushing the linesman. I think he will look back at that and learn from that.
"He has also come from a different culture and they do that all the time; in England it is not quite acceptable as much. I think, going forward, he will learn from that and he will try and get rid of those little, annoying things in his game."