Erik ten Hag is of the opinion that Bruno Fernandes is "performing exceptionally well" in his role as captain of Manchester United.
Since Harry Maguire was benched for United's third game of the season against Liverpool, Fernandes has served as the team's captain in all but one of their games, although the Portuguese forward has only managed to score once this season.
In the first 18 months after moving to the club from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, Fernandes was quite productive at both scoring and creating. He finished the previous season with 10 goals and 14 assists, despite the fact that his level of play had significantly declined.
This season, Fernandes has only scored one goal, which was the game-winning goal against Southampton on August 27. In addition, he has assisted on two other goals, but his position in the team has been questioned by some due to Christian Eriksen's prominence.
Fernandes, who is 28 years old, has played 139 times for United and has racked up an impressive 51 goals and 41 assists for the club. Ten Hag is delighted with Fernandes' effect beyond the numbers.
Ten Hag commented that Bruno has been putting up impressive numbers so far this year. "In spite of the fact that he is capable of producing a greater number of goals and assists, I believe that he is frequently in the path of the ball, and he is playing what I believe to be a significant role in a large number of key moments for us in football, including build-up, creativity, attacking, movement, and transition on both sides.
"Because of how great he is in defensive transition and how hard he is working, I can say that I am quite pleased with his overall performance.
"[Leadership] is also one of the things; he is really an example with the way he translates the play for us, how he stimulates others around him, and he is the example with the energy he brings to the team. He is the example."
That is very impressive, and I am pleased with his efforts. I am confident that he will score goals and provide assists in the future.
