ERIK TEN HAG EXPLAINS BRUNO FERNANDES

CAPTAINCY DECISION
Erik ten Hag has explained why he gave Bruno Fernandes the captain’s armband.

Fernandes was announced as Manchester United’s new captain this week following a decision to
take the responsibilities away from Harry Maguire.

It came as no surprise since Maguire lost his place as a first-team regular last term. In his absence,
Fernandes was stand-in caption, so it’s only right that the Portuguese midfielder receives a
promotion in squad status.

“He always wants to be a better football player, working very hard to give his maximum
performance,” Ten Hag said, as per the Manchester Evening News.

“So he is the mirror for many players and he is a good social connector.

“He is also very good at game understanding. So, for a manager, it’s very good to have that
intermediary on the pitch. So those are some reasons, but he can’t do it alone.

“We need more help. We need more leaders to have a strong bond and who can point a
team in the right direction.”

There’s no point having a captain who doesn’t play. That’s why Ten Hag had to change the captain
and you won’t find many United fans that will disagree with his decision.

Fernandes is part of United’s 31-man squad in the United States, which is set to be joined by new
signing Andre Onana following the goalkeeper’s arrival from Inter Milan.

United take on Arsenal tomorrow evening in their third pre-season match of the summer.