“That’s the biggest problem” - Rio Ferdinand offers opinion on whether Bruno Fernandes is the right captain for Manchester United

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has shared his thoughts on calls from some pundits to strip Bruno Fernandes of the captaincy.

Fernandes was made captain ahead of this season but he also majorly donned the armband last campaign, with Harry Maguire featuring scarcely. The Portuguese midfielder, however, has faced criticism from fans and pundits for his attitude on the pitch. The likes of Roy Keane have also called for Fernandes to be stripped of captaincy.

Rio Ferdinand recently spoke about the same and pointed out that there aren't many other options for the responsibility in the Manchester United squad. When asked if Fernandes should retain the captaincy, he answered on talkSPORT (via Manchester Evening News):

“Who else is there? That’s the biggest problem.

“You can say that he’s either one that you fancy or you don’t but then I look around, I reckon there will be players in that changing room that would probably turn down the chance of being captain."

He added:

“The pressure is too big, they don’t want to be under the spotlight or the person that’s got to go in front of the media and have that responsibility.”

Fernandes picked up his fifth yellow card of the season for dissent in Manchester United's 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday, December 9. He will now miss their clash against Liverpool at Anfield on December 17.

The Portugal international has scored five goals and provided five assists in 22 games across competitions for United this season.

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Erik ten Hag on Manchester United's inconsistent performances

The Red Devils have had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign so far. They are sixth in the Premier League, 10 points off leaders Liverpool, and have been eliminated from the EFL Cup. They put in a good performance in their 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend but then lost 3-0 against Bournemouth at the weekend.

Manchester United will next host Bayern Munich in their final UEFA Champions League group-stage clash on Tuesday, December 12. In a pre-match press conference, manager Erik ten Hag was asked if his side's inconsistency was frustrating for him and he replied (via manutd.com):

“It's not about getting frustrated about it. We have to work on it. So that's my responsibility, to set the team, to prepare the team and that they improve on the fact and I will give everything and I know my players will do as well.”

Manchester United need to beat Bayern Munich and hope other results go their way to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages. A possibility of demotion to the Europa League or complete elimination also exists for the Red Devils.