Bruno Fernandes has spent this season as Manchester United captain in all but name, wearing the armband whilst Harry Maguire has been out of favour.
It’s no surprise that with his club captain not warranting a place in the starting XI, new manager Erik ten Hag turned to the man who has shown his leadership since he arrived at Old Trafford. Fernandes has always been known to drive high standards - and that dates back long before he joined the Red Devils.
When Jose Peseiro took charge of Sporting Lisbon for the second time in July 2018, he knew the first thing he needed to do - convince Fernandes to stay. That was no easy task, with the squad decimated after fans invaded the training ground at the end of the previous season and numerous big-names cancelled their contracts.
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“When I was at Sporting, it was when the big problem happened before and the first moments, the president tried to convince Bruno Fernandes to play for us,” Peseiro recalls to Mirror Football.
“At that moment, some players decided to terminate their contracts after the attack from the fans.
“I always kept observing our league because I was coach at Vitoria Guimaraes, and the first point was that I knew it was important to keep Bruno Fernandes playing for us.”
Instantly, Peseiro’s determination to keep Fernandes at the club was vindicated as he witnessed the characteristics he had seen from afar up close. In a time of crisis, the playmaker led by example both on and off the pitch.
“He’s a true captain,” he says. “Incredible player with high demands, and not only in the matches - in training, in meetings, at team meals. He showed everybody the maximum motivation that was demanding, he spoke to everybody to make sure we would improve.
“On the pitch, he always wanted to be training. After training, he would stay on the field and convince three or four more, and a goalkeeper, to do more training.
“Sometimes we would do complementary training, but then even after that Bruno Fernandes would stay on the pitch with some teammates and be with them shooting, or taking free-kicks or working on things.”
Fernandes’ determination to never leave the pitch would sometimes cause tension as Peseiro hoped the extra demands would not prove too much on those he dragged along. Ultimately, however, the Portuguese star could cope and he helped teammates along the way.
“Sometimes I would fight with him - I’d say, ‘take care, go for a rest, because you can’t endure it’. I always knew he was a strong guy, but some of the others, sometimes they could not take it, they’d need to rest.
“But he just loved to practice and he was a very strong guy, not only mentally but also physically, with strong biomechanics.
“Sometimes he could put a risk for other players because they could not do the same like he did, but he always just wanted to drive high standards.”
Since arriving at Manchester United, that same desire and hunger has been evident from the outset and seen numerous managers hand him the captain’s armband at various stages. Whilst he sometimes cannot hide his frustration with teammates, it is all part of the personality which has made Fernandes a driving force in bringing the club back to moving in the right direction after plenty of upheaval.
“He’s the sort of guy that would protect his teammates, but on the pitch he would demand so much,” Peseiro says. “At Manchester United, you see the same, he has demands for everybody.
“Sometimes he puts his arms in the air, because he wants to fight and he wants the same high standards, even under pressure. He’s an amazing player under pressure, for us he was a player who showed the standard under pressure.
“He also wants to play every time - he doesn’t want to rest. He wants to play, he wants to win and I think he’s doing a fantastic job at Manchester United because he creates a great atmosphere for everybody.
“He creates a great atmosphere to give people confidence but also to demand high standards and give that motivation.”
