Bruno Fernandes showed why he should be named Manchester United captain next season following the FA Cup final defeat to Man City, according to club legend Peter Schmeichel.
Harry Maguire retained the armband for the current campaign but has struggled to nail down a starting place in Erik ten Hag’s side. The England centre-back has been limited to 16 starts in all competitions, with Fernandes often deputising in his absence, including against Manchester City at Wembley.
It was the stand-in skipper who dragged United back on level terms from the penalty spot after Ilkay Gundogan’s 12-second stunner opened the scoring but Fernandes was ultimately unable to steer the club to victory. "Everyone is down and it's really difficult. We wanted to end the season in a different way but it wasn't possible," he said in his post-match interview.
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"We've made big steps for next season, it wasn't a successful season overall but it was a good one. We have to come back next season and try to win bigger trophies."
After hearing the midfielder’s thoughts on the game, United legend Peter Schmeichel suggested that the 28-year-old should be given the captaincy on a permanent basis. The treble-winner pointed to something he had spotted while working pitch-side as a pundit that showcased Fernandes’ leadership role within the club.
"He speaks like a captain," Schmeichel told BBC Sport. "What I noticed as well was when all of the United players were over (by the fans) he went up to the referees and shook their hands."“He came back and when all the United players left after the trophy was given out, he went over to the Manchester City staff and shook everybody’s hands.
"We might be a little bit annoyed about him on the pitch but that is class. That’s a captain, that’s a leader, showing everybody that he’s OK."
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