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“So much behind the scenes” – Man United star rewarded for ‘outstanding’ training ground work
Manchester United begin their 2023/24 Premier League campaign on Monday and there have been some changes at Carrington.
Erik ten Hag has brought in three new signings to the club in the form of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
However, there have also been some internal changes. Bruno Fernandes has taken over as club captain and will play his first competitive fixture in the role against Wolves.
The Portuguese midfielder was essentially the captain last term, with Harry Maguire out of the team for the most part, and so Ten Hag’s decision to pick Fernandes as the replacement seemed inevitable.
We have all seen the leadership qualities that United’s no.8 possesses on the pitch, yet, it has been his actions behind the scenes that influenced his manager’s decision as much as the contributions he makes on the pitch.
Former Manchester United midfielder Alan Smith has explained how Fernandes deserved the reward of becoming captain because of the work that he does on the training pitch that people on the outside will not see.
“I agree with the appointment of Bruno as captain,” he told Gambling Zone. “He seems to want to drag the best out of everyone else and that he demands a lot.
“I read that he trains hard, and people only see game day but there’s so much going on behind the scenes. There are people demanding standards in training.
“The manager sees that and no one else does, and what I’ve heard is that he was an outstanding candidate based on everything he brings, not just his output even though his goal contribution was amazing. Giving him more responsibility will help him, he looks like he likes it and it may take him to another level.”
Fernandes is expected to have another impressive campaign and with Hojlund coming in, he will hope that more of the chances he creates will be converted.
Speaking on his new role, Bruno has expressed his delight but stressed the importance of the experienced clan around him.
“When you realise you’re going to be the captain of Man United and when you see the past of this club with how many great captains and how many trophies they lifted, it makes me look at it and say that I want to be that kind of captain,” he told Football Focus.
“We have many leaders and that’s a good thing for me and it helps me to make my job much easier because they will help me to create that mentality. We have big players, experienced players.
“It’s impossible to describe the way I feel but having these kind of players around me will help me a lot.”
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