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Pundit Chris Sutton has slammed Bruno Fernandes after his performance in Manchester United's 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, December 9.
The Red Devils put in another disappointing performance at Old Trafford against the Cherries. Dominik Solanke (5'), Philip Billing (68'), and Marcos Senesi (73') scored for Bournemouth to secure a big win.
United captain Fernandes, meanwhile, failed to make an impact on the game. He had an 85% passing rate, made six key passes, won 4/12 ground duels, and made three tackles. He was also booked in the 84th minute for dissent. The Portuguese will now miss Manchester United's visit to Liverpool next weekend after receiving five yellow cards this season.
Sutton, writing in his column for Daily Mail, ripped into Fernandes for appearing to take Bournemouth lightly and his attitude on the pitch. He wrote (via Mirror):
"There was one quote in particular from Bruno Fernandes which summed up the alarmingly poor attitude among Manchester United’s players. It was his admission that they thought it was ‘going to be easy’. United underestimated Bournemouth and they were schooled because of that."
He added:
"He tried to play Hollywood passes and ended up in Hartlepool.
"Then he earned a yellow card for acting like a cry-baby towards the end of this beating. That was his fifth of the season, so he’s now banned for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool - a fixture United lost 7-0 last season. It was more poor leadership from the captain."
Fernandes has been criticised for his behavior in the past as well. United legend Roy Keane even said that the Portuguese shouldn't be the club captain after their defeat against Manchester City earlier this season.
Manchester United preparing for a daunting week after Bournemouth loss
The Red Devils beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford on December 6 and it felt like they were on the up after an excellent performance. However, a disappointing defeat against Bournemouth has perhaps lowered their confidence ahead of a big week.
Manchester United will next host Bayern Munich in their final UEFA Champions League group-stage game this season. They are at the bottom of their group and need to beat the Bavarians to have any chance of moving to the knockout stages. United lost 4-3 in the reverse leg.
The Red Devils will then travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, December 12. The Reds currently lead the Premier League table and have lost one of their 16 league games this season. The corresponding fixture ended in a 7-0 hammering for Manchester United last season.
