Manchester United’s captain led by example against Liverpool on Sunday as the Red Devils defeated the reigning Premier League champions at Anfield.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes appears to be displaying some of the traits that legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson had when he was in charge of the club. A day after United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield, United’s stars reported they were back in training.
As seen in the video ‘Inside Arrivals’ released by the Red Devils, Fernandes displayed all the qualities that have made him the club’s captain since the summer of 2023.
When Fernandes arrived for training, he made sure to say hello to everyone on the way, asking how they were doing and even offering a friendly fist pump as he headed to United’s Carrington complex. His open demeanor and charming swagger mirror that of Sir Alex and show a warmer side to his personality.
Ferguson was even known to share breakfast with United’s laundry staff, making sure he knew everyone’s name. His close friend Archie Knox, who was his assistant manager at Aberdeen and United, believes the mentality Ferguson and Fernandes seemingly share is the key to long-term success.
“The first thing Alex said when he came to Aberdeen was that everyone was part of the club. He knew the ground staff, he knew the ladies in the kitchen and he made sure he knew them all. It was the same when he went to Manchester United,” Knox said, via the Scottish Sun.
read more: Barcelona manager reveals his predictions for Marcus Rashford and sends a clear message to Manchester Unitedread more: Harry Maguire praised for Man United’s ‘clutch header’ against Liverpool, ridiculed by La Liga side
“The first thing we did in the morning, I think it was before 8 a.m., was go to the laundry room at the training ground and have a cup of tea and toast with some of the ladies there.”
Fernandes is in form at United but his future could have been elsewhere this summer. The Portuguese star had been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after Al Hilal were reported to be willing to pay £300m to sign him.
United would have collected a £100m transfer fee and handed Fernandes an eye-watering contract worth around £200m. He was also able to collaborate with two of his national team mates in Saudi Arabia.
“It would have been an easy move,” he said. “I have Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo there, and they are great friendships for me. But I want to stay at the highest level and play in big competitions because I feel I still have the ability.”
In October, he said of the failed transfer: “I didn’t close the door on moving to Saudi Arabia for the World Cup. That was never in my mind. I wanted to stay at Manchester United and the club wanted me to stay. That’s all that matters.”
However, it seems unlikely that he will leave the club for now, with the captain continuing to lead the team in an exemplary manner.
After the win against Liverpool, Fernandes warned his team-mates that they needed to maintain their performance level, sticking firmly to their leadership ceiling.
“Today is about celebrating and enjoying this moment,” the Red Devils captain told DAZN Portugal, as quoted by O Jogo. “We have to quickly shift our focus from today to next week, so we’ll start thinking about it (the next game) tomorrow.
“I’m very happy that we won today, but if we don’t win next week, there will be dark clouds again. It’s difficult to maintain beautiful skies in Manchester.”
He continued, “It was a very important game. We obviously needed this win to get closer to the top. It was very important to win against a team that we had to beat, and we took advantage of our impatience and caused our opponents to make mistakes.”
Fernandes and United’s next game is against Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday, with United aiming for a third Premier League win on the bounce.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily Manchester United content from Mirror Football. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
