At a Glance
- Thierry Henry hails Manchester United’s Fernandes
- The Arsenal icon impressed with his leadership
- Reds’ skipper grabbed another assist vs Aston Villa
Arsenal legend and TV pundit Thierry Henry praised Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, capturing his role as a ‘real leader’ whilst berating teammate Amad Diallo.
Henry was in the Sky Sports studio for Monday Night Football. He analysed the best bits of the weekend, including United’s 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Fernandes has stood out as the Red Devils’ most important signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. His influence on the team as a captain has continued this season under Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick.
‘A real leader’
Henry praised Fernandes for his insistence on upholding the highest standards not only for himself but also for his teammates. That even includes when the game is won.
Speaking on the closing moments of Sunday’s game, Henry said:
“He wanted the ball from Amad Diallo, not Manuel Ugarte, and I wanted to show that because this is at 3-1 with just a few minutes to go.”
He added:
“He [Fernandes] killed Amad Diallo for at least seven seconds! That’s just him, he will argue with his Dad or with anyone but he still finds a way. Even when he wins, he’s like that; he demands excellence from himself and his teammates. For me, that’s a real leader.”
A fine line between petulance and high standards
Fernandes’ vocal presence has often been labelled as petulance when things aren’t going so well. This has been a source of dismay for rival fans and even former United legends.
In 2023, club legend Roy Keane wanted him stripped from the captaincy role. He gave a scathing assessment of his on-field behaviour in a 3-0 loss to Manchester City under Erik ten Hag.
At the time, Keane said:
“He is a talented player no doubt about it. But what I saw today – we’ve discussed many times before. It was last season [2022/23] at Liverpool – his whinging, his moaning and throwing his arms up in the air constantly.”
Fernandes himself has addressed the arm flailing and supposed moaning in the past (via Sky Sports):
“Sometimes I go over the line. I know that. It can happen in the game and it is difficult to control emotions.”
He added:
“But I never try to be disrespectful with anyone. We are all competitive and we all want to win. The way I play and feel the game, the passion I feel for it, is how I feel better and how I give the most for my team and to my club. That’s why I play in that way.”
Fernandes has a claim to become the Premier League’s Player of the Season. It has been an impressive campaign for him, already breaking David Beckham’s 1999/2000 assist record in one season.
Winning the award would make him the first United player since Nemanja Vidic in 2011 to collect the award. For that to happen, United need to finish the season strong as a collective before considering personal accolades for a deserving captain.
